New Choices
by jubagirl
Summary: A new teacher arrives and throws Dumbledore s plans to the side. She rearranges the lives of Severus and Harry, and they have the chance of creating a family and a new life.
1. Chapter 1

New Choices

**Chapter 1**

A new teacher

It was eight weeks before the start of another long school year, the teachers were soon coming back and the school was about to get ready for the new pupils. In a previously unprecedented move the headmaster had suddenly called all the teachers in for an unexpected staff meeting. "Ah dear colleagues" he said as soon as everybody had settled. "I or should I say we have a complication. The new defense teacher that was supposed to start soon has not been heard from in weeks, and I have been forced to make a hurried replacement. Luckily we have had an application to teach here from a European witch, Ms Germaine Schultz. She should be here within moments". All the others glanced grimly at each other, dreading the arrival of another incompetent defense teacher.

There was a sudden knock on the door of their meeting room, and Dumbledore got up to usher the newcomer in.

The witch that came in was bundled in a big cloak and had the hood up; still she shuddered violently as she came in. The headmaster turned back to the others and said "now that we are all here let me present your new colleague; Staff this is Ms Schultz who I hope will take on the responsibility for teaching defense this year. Ms Shultz this is some of the other teaching staff: professor Flitwick the charms teacher, professor McGonagall the deputy headmistress and transfigurations teacher, professor Sinistra who teaches Astronomy, professor Snape our potions master, professor Vector the arithmancy teacher and professor Burbage who teaches muggle studies. Sadly professor Kettleburn who teaches care of magical creatures, Professor Hooch who is our flying teacher, professor Babbling who teaches ancient runes, and professor Trelawney who teaches divination were not able to attend this meeting". There were a number of barely suppressed snorts at this announcement. (Trelawney was known for not attending many meetings because her "inner eye" supposedly got clouded.) "You must already have met Hagrid our gamekeeper, I suppose it was him that ushered you up here from the gates".

The new teacher now removed her hood, and looked round. She had hair so blonde it was almost white and big golden eyes. She would have been quite good looking if it had not been for the large scar up her one cheek. This drew one side of her mouth up, so that she seemed to be smirking slightly at them. "Good day to you all" she said in a low and pleasant voice, "I apologize for not disrobing; I have caught a chill and need to warm up a bit. As to the issue of me teaching defense, this will depend on the circumstances. I am actually both a Potions mistress and an adequate defense instructor, but I must admit that I am far better at potions than defense." She smiled slightly, looking directly at Severus; he saw that her eyes gleamed with distinct feminine interest and appreciation as she let her eyes glide over his form. It was not often a woman looked at him with interest, well he amended to himself actually never had any woman looked at him with this kind of interest; despite himself he felt intrigued.

"So I was hoping there was a chance that the esteemed potions professor might be capable of trading with me so that I teach potions and he teaches defense", she continued "or alternatively a sharing of responsibilities with me teaching potions and defense to the lower years and him teaching the higher years".

"We can discuss these matters later" Dumbledore said; "for now we have other matters to discuss". Professor Vector interjected hurriedly "what happened to Professor Quirrell, do we know? He should have started in seven weeks, has he just vanished"?

Professor Dumbledore looked a bit uncomfortable, and said "we do not know, he seems to have disappeared without a trace. We were very really lucky that Ms Schultz applied at this opportune time".

"Yes very lucky" Severus said drily, "I think this is the first instance of someone except yours truly actually applying to teach defense here. How come you heard of this opening?"

Dumbledore looked sharply at him and said warningly "Severus".

At this point Ms Schultz chose to answer the question Snape had asked, "I am not afraid of any supposed curse, and I heard of this, as you say `opening` through a friend who once attended this school. He has raved so much about his time at Hogwarts that I decided to follow his recommendation that I should really try applying for a job here if I came to this country. I was of course not aware there was indeed a space available at the time I sent my application, I just thought I should apply for the fun of it".

At this point Dumbledore interjected before more questions were asked. "As I was trying to say, we do have another purpose for this sudden meeting. Normally we would not meet for some time yet, but the addition of a new teacher whom is unfamiliar with the castle, does not know the ministry`s rules for teaching and has not had the opportunity to prepare for the school year makes it important that someone stay here with Ms. Schultz as she cannot be expected to manage alone".

" Please call me Gem" said the woman in question.

Dumbledore twinkled at her with his merry blue eyes, "Gem it is, and as I say someone must stay here with you and I regret to say that this someone cannot be me".

Almost every eye in the room shifted to Snape, and he threw up his arms saying "why is everybody looking at me? I actually DO have a private life too, in case you all did not realize".

Dumbledore just smiled at Snape saying "yes but as you are the only member of staff without family, and who is unattached you are the most obvious choice my dear boy. In addition you normally start early in order to brew for the infirmary".

Snape scowled at the headmaster, while Sinistra said quietly "careful headmaster, Severus might just scare off your newest teacher before she even begins".

"I do not scare easily" Gem said, smiling at them all. "I am sure professor Snape will provide interesting company" her eyes again roamed over him with obvious interest "if it so happens that he becomes my companion here for the next weeks. I am sure that the professor will want to test my capabilities in potions before he decides whether to let me teach it or not".

"Then it is settled Severus" said the headmaster while Snape again scowled at him. "You will stay here helping Ms, eh Gem to acclimatize".

The headmaster again turned to the rest of the teaching staff, saying "our business here is now concluded, thank you for coming at such short notice. I hope you will have a nice continued summer vacation, and I will see you all here in seven weeks".

"Ah joy" Snape said darkly, standing up and sweeping out of the room. The other teachers followed in his wake greeting Gem on their way out and wishing her and professor Dumbledore a good summer.

"Don't worry about Severus" said Dumbledore when all others had left, "he is a bit prickly but a most accomplished potions master". Gem only smiled slightly and said "believe me I have encountered worse, and probably will do so again".

"Let me show you to your quarters", said Dumbledore "I had originally thought to place you up near the defense classroom, but if you might end up teaching potions it is best that you stay in the dungeons". There is an unused set of rooms next to Professor Snape"s quarters, if that suits you"?

"Yes that will suit admirably" she said following him closely.

Professor Dumbledore sure moved quickly for an old man, they were at her new rooms within minutes. The rooms were dark and a bit dingy, but Gem felt they could have possibilities.

"Trinket" she called gently and her personal house elf popped into existence immediately, " "What does mistress want" it enquired. "If you would be so good as to start unpacking my things into these rooms as quick as you are capable" Gem ordered. The house elf looked at her mistress and said, "these rooms are mighty dirty, you wish for Trinket to clean first"? "Yes please, do that".

The headmaster coughed politely, and said "I am sorry Ms. Gem, I do have to fly, but I will be back in seven weeks. I hope you will be able to get comfortable here, you only have to ask our house elves for assistance and I am sure Severus will" he paused slightly, looking a tad unsure "assist when he has had some time to ehm adjust". He then took her hand and bent slightly over it, "pleased that you could come Gem, I am looking forward to getting to know you better but now I really have to get going" he said before turning and exiting.

Professor Severus Snape, potions master extraordinaire was simultaneously angry that his longed for vacation vas cut short and also intrigued by this female that had been looking at him as if he was a delicacy she wanted to taste. He was definitely not used to females of any kind being interested in him in any way whatsoever, at least since… He could not even finish the thought; it was still too painful to think of the love of his life.

A knock sounded from his office door "come in headmaster" he called sourly. The headmaster opened the door, smiled at him and said "how did you know it was me"?

"All the others have probably left, except Ms. Shultz"

"Gem" interjected the headmaster. "Yes her" Severus continued, "and I could not see her coming here first thing". The headmaster twinkled at Severus in that annoying way of his "about Ms. eh, Gem my boy. You will stay at your best behavior won`t you? After all it is not every day that I may agree to give you the defense post after all". Severus glared at the headmaster and ground out "I will endeavor to not scare her away just yet".

The headmaster just smiled merrily and exclaimed "that's good; just see that she has what she needs, and help her get ready for the start of the school year. And if you`re lucky she might help you stock up the infirmary before term starts. Goodbye now Severus, I will see you after seven weeks". The headmaster then turned on his heel and left without another word.

"Damn and blast", said Severus glaring after the old codger, before turning round and leaving for his home in Spinners End in order to pack what he needed.


	2. Chapter 2

Plans

Gem stood in her new rooms, trying to imagine what furniture would fit here. Well she thought to herself, I am one step closer to the goal but there is still some way to go before I reach my goals. At last she took off her cloak, and stretched out her arms. She twirled gently round, happy that she finally had reached her destination. I`m finally here she thought to herself and again she called out to Trinket. "yes mistress" the elf said and bowed, sternly Gem said to her elf "you know I do not require you to bow before me Trinket"

"yes mistress" said the elf wringing her ears.

"And there will be no punishing yourself either. Now could you contact one of the resident house eves please, I will need furniture and they probably know where such things are hidden. I don't want to bother with taking things here all the way from home".

The elf inclined her head "as you wish mistress" it said and popped off. Within minutes there were two elves in the rooms, both bowed deeply and asked what mistress wanted. "Please do not bow to me, it makes me uncomfortable. I want some furniture for these rooms if you would be so kind. Some chairs, a sofa and a bed to start with".

"We will be happy to assist mistress" squeaked the elves and popped away. I didn`t even get their names Gem thought to herself, oh well they probably won't mind too much.

Taking a last look at the rooms for now, she let herself out in order to get acquainted with the castle while the elves worked in peace.

The castle was bigger and more imposing than she had thought, she was surprised none of the students had ever vanished without a trace; smiling to herself she continued her trek. She knew the elves would do better without her in their way, and she could do with the time to contemplate her next moves. Getting Severus Snape over on her side would require a lot of tact and some radical solutions. Hopefully he was as honorable a man as she had always thought. She shivered again; all these years of watching over him from afar had not prepared her for the reality of being in the same room.

Her goal was amongst others his continued life, freedom and hopefully happiness. But she must try not to get her hopes up when it came to him.

Sighing slightly to herself she wandered towards the dungeons again. Saving the world and especially the parts of it named Severus Snape or Harry Potter would have to wait. Patience, she admonished herself, I must have patience.

After collecting all supplies that he needed, Severus shrunk everything and taking a last look at his dingy sitting room he stepped into the floo, shouting his destination as he went.

"Hogwarts, Severus Snape`s quarters". Within moments he was there and promptly resized everything again, taking his sweet time to put everything in place.

He looked around him feeling at home in his cozy and comfortable rooms; his quarters were a lot less dingy than his so called home. Not that surprising seeing that he spent nearly no time in Spinners End, and lots of time here. He had to admit it might not be too hard spending some weeks extra at the school; he might even get some extra potions experiments done. And if he was lucky this new teacher might even be competent enough to help with the brewing of potions for the infirmary, a duty Severus found repetitive. He snorted and thought to himself, being a bit too optimistic now Severus. Try her out first on potions only the worst of dunderheads can get wrong, and then proceed from there.

He checked one last time that everything was in place, and walked towards his lab thinking that he should check his ingredients cupboards and start on a list of potions to test the woman on.

In the meantime Gem had found the potions lab without difficulty, it was well stocked and there were few ingredients that were not available in some quantity. She made a note of the few she wanted to add and inspected the facilities. Suddenly the door burst open and Snape stalked in, scowling at her. "Find anything interesting" he drawled sarcastically.

"Yes actually", she said, again letting her eyes roam over him. He might not be classically beautiful, but she did find him achingly attractive. Forcing herself to look away she continued checking out the lab. She noted what type of cauldrons he had, and made another note of what equipment might need replacing. Luckily she could do so with her own money, giving an anonymous grant was easy after all.

Severus again felt his interest being piqued; she had eyed him in the same way as before. Being a rational man he didn`t see how she could be attracted to him, no one had ever been attracted to him that he knew of.

"I will be making a list of potions we will make, in order of difficulty. If you make them all to my specifications and I do not see any major fault with these potions, we will then discuss the matter of which classes to teach. Are we in agreement"?

She nodded, and looked at him again, the same feminine interest glowing in her eyes, "that sounds ok. I don`t expect you to trust me with brewing until you have tested me extensively. I don`t mind, I would do the same if it was me. When do you wish to start"?

"As I haven't eaten dinner yet, I suggest a light meal and then brewing after" he said with a slight smirk.

Gem was looking at him as if he was exactly the type of dessert she wanted as she said "I have not eaten either, and I don`t much like eating alone so if I was sure of the status of my quarters I would invite you to dine with me". She then continued "but I am sure you will get more than enough of my company as it is." He forced himself to not show the effect her regard had on him, and said coldly "I will need some time to compose a list over potions to brew, so I will decline your invitation. I will meet you here in three hours, be ready". He turned quickly and exited, robes billowing behind him as he went.

She stood there looking after him, and repeated her mantra in her head. Patience woman, don"t come on too strong. We don`t want to spook him, now do we? Keep your hands to yourself; he is not for you however much you want him... I want him? She questioned herself, and the answer was yes. Definitely yes, she wanted him with every fiber in her. How could this happen? Of course she was without male company except for her brother, and she had loved Severus Snape in a selfless way, from afar for years. But the impact of being so close was shattering; she would have to control herself when it came to getting to know him better. Not too close, not too far.

She finally had to force herself to move, and walked out of the lab returning to her rooms. When she came there she was pleasantly surprised. The rooms were clean and utterly transformed, cozy furniture were scattered around making a pleasant and attractive effect. She stood there enjoying the sight immensely. Trinket appeared from a corner "is mistress happy with our work" the elf said.

Gem answered "yes Trinket, this is fantastic, you all did a great job. Now if you could arrange for a light supper, you may take the evening off after. Do you by the way want to stay here, or go back home"? The elf bowed slightly and squeaked "I wishes to stay with mistress, the other elves can care for master Paul and mistress Orchid." At this Gem smiled to the faithful elf, "stay then if you wish, but you will mostly have to work with the other elves if you want something to do. I don't need much for now". The elf bowed again saying "thank you mistress, I will go work in the kitchens and mistress will call when she needs something". With this the elf popped away, and a bowl of soup with some bread appeared on a small dining table right afterward.

Gem ate her supper, and setting an alarm for one hour later she took a nap. In her dream she went to her favorite dreamscape, in which a babbling brook meandered across a meadow filled with all sorts of flowers and hordes of butterflies flew around. Here she sat down with her back to a tree situated close to the brook and let her mind relax.


	3. Chapter 3

A guardian of dreams

Severus was a practically minded man; he set up his list in record time. Ate his dinner and brooded afterward. What did the woman want? She must be after something; nobody usually showed him any interest until they wanted something from him. Frowning he glanced at the clock and yawned slightly, he was a bit tired and he still had some time before he had to be at his lab. He wouldn`t get any answers now anyway and he would do better to sleep a bit. As he relaxed in his chair, he set an inner clock to wake him within an hour.

As always the nightmare that sometimes plagued him began soon; fruitlessly he strove to banish it from his mind but he couldn`t escape. He saw it form trying to say to himself that it was just a dream, it wasn't happening here and now. He managed to close his eyes briefly, not wanting to see. But when he opened his eyes again, he was in a meadow, lying with his head in a woman's lap. "shhh, sleep now love" a low voice told him "I am here and I will scare the bad dreams away."

"Yes I know" he said, relaxing against her "you always do."

Gem stroked Severus with light fingers, as he slept within the dreamscape she had created. She didn`t really know when she had first come over his dreams while dreamwalking. But at some point his recurrent nightmares had attracted her attention, and she had begun guarding his dreams. She grew to know and love him through the years, while watching his lonely life both through his dreams and through her visions. It was a bit shocking how much more intense it was sitting here with him like this after actually meeting him. Dreaming and sleeping Severus had incited protectiveness and eventually a calm undemanding sort of love.

Having a fully awake Severus be so close and so very masculine, had incited a whole range of other feelings. These were not too welcome for someone as damaged as she. Feeling a bit overwhelmed by the potent mix of fierce love, acute sexual awareness and protectiveness she sat there studying him. How could she get so sexually aware of him within hours of meeting him? She sat there watching over his dream until he faded back to the waking world; she then woke herself up from her own nap. As she got ready for her testing, she was feeling stupid.

Hopefully Severus would not pick up on her feelings for him, but being a spy he would probably be capable of reading her like a book. Ah well, she thought, it might do him good to feel desired. Even if it was by someone he didn`t find attractive. Gritting her teeth she admitted to herself that she would do anything for him, regardless of her own comfort or pride. And now ready or not, it was time to go back to the lab, she straightened her robes and walked out of the rooms refusing to look at her image in the mirror. She would never be beautiful; there was no point in primping. There was some serious brewing to do, and hopefully she wouldn`t embarrass herself by drooling over Severus or forgetting every potion ever made when he came close. She grimaced slightly and made her way towards the lab determinedly.

Severus awoke feeling refreshed; his personal dream guardian had been in his dream again. She had been there for him for years, and he still knew nothing about her except that she felt good, sang softly to him and smelled of woman. He supposed she too might be a dream, but he didn`t mind her intruding into his dreams whatever she was. She only interrupted the dreams he didn`t want anyway, and he always slept better when she joined him. As he stretched he glanced at the clock, feeling gratified that he had awoken exactly when he wanted. Readying himself before sweeping his list up, he exited his rooms within minutes of waking.

He walked towards the lab thinking it was time to give that woman the testing of her life. Unbidden images popped into his mind, of himself testing her range of other abilities more intimate than potion making, he stopped briefly closing his eyes, and forced the images out of his head, it would not do to forget himself.

He swept on and entered the lab, only to find the woman in question waiting there. "I am ready" she said her eyes gleaming with feminine appreciation again. "Good" he said "we will start at the basics, here is your list". He handed her the list, and she laid it before her on the workbench. "All right, watch and learn" she said smirking at him.

"I will watch closely, and if you damage my equipment I will be severely displeased" he all but snarled at her.

Gem wasn`t going to let his snarling and grumbling get to her. She knew all too well this defense technique and it didn`t faze her. As she worked through a sampling of the basic potions he sneered and tried to put her down with his icy sarcasm when describing how her technique was wrong but she just smiled at him, not taking the bait.

At the end of several hours of brewing Severus had to admit to himself that the woman had some talent, even though he didn`t entirely approve of her technique. This was not a small admission for a man such as him. "I think we will take up the thread tomorrow; we both need a bit of rest. I will see you tomorrow morning at 9, for a testing of your ability to brew more complex potions" he said coldly.

She smirked at him again, saying "sir, yes sir", with a small ironic salute. He glared at her, sweeping past. On his way he noticed that she smelled kind of familiar, and kind of... well like safety. He dismissed this notion, and hurried to his rooms.

He now had to make a new list, as she in record time had proved that she was more than capable of brewing the simpler types of potions. Soon he sat in his rooms eating a snack while he made a new and longer list; this one would test her potion making abilities thoroughly. With a self satisfied smirk he added wolfsbane at the end of the list. This was a desperately tricky potion, and not many were capable of brewing it successful. He would see what she made of it soon enough.

Making ready for bed he hoped sleep would come without protests today, as he was surprisingly tired. He lay down, soon slipping into slumber. No nightmare dared disturb him this night; he slept soundly hearing in his mind the dream guardian humming her usual song.

After brewing had finished Gem went to her rooms, and ate a bit before she too went to bed. There would soon be time for starting the shock treatment of Severus, but not yet. She would ease him into this gently, always giving him choices. But she would not start tonight; she would give him a bit more time before starting on her mission. She lay upon her bed and soon fell asleep, her dream self glided to Severus" bed sitting by him humming her song to him. She felt very happy; this was how she would choose to spend her life. Being with him both when awake and asleep, giving him all of her. In a way she wished she didn`t need to expose him to information he wouldn't want. He would probably prefer not to know Potter and not to have to make any choices regarding him. Except maybe those that included ribbing, taunting and generally being a git towards the boy.

The next day after eating a light breakfast Gem went back to the lab, this time Severus was there already. She let her eyes slide over him as she walked past, noticing that he looked well rested. Fighting against the urge to touch him she instead went directly to the first cauldron. He looked up and she couldn`t help letting her feelings show in her eyes. Instantly he looked away, obviously he wasn`t ready for that.

Tearing her eyes away she immediately started readying for brewing, concentrating with all her might on the ingredients of the next potion, and not on the man opposite. As a result she didn`t see him glancing at her in a puzzled way.

Yesterday he had been giving her orders about what to do, but this day they worked mostly in silence, only speaking when necessary. Severus sniped at Gem sometimes, but as before she took no notice of this. Not wanting to waste time they took their meals together in the lab, away from the cauldrons, while speaking only about the newest potions research.

The same pattern followed through the week, and Gem had more and more trouble keeping her feelings for Severus at bay. She thought he had probably noticed, but apart from the fact that he stopped trying to insult her techniques where they differed from his he didn`t react in any way. The next few days flew past for Gem as she had to concentrate on more and more difficult potions. At no time did he compliment her results, but he didn't criticize her too much either.

She felt that was as good as a compliment, knowing that he wasn't normally afraid to voice his negative opinions. At times she couldn't' help looking up from time to time enjoying the sight of him brewing. He was so attentive to each potion, and she couldn't help wonder how it might feel if he gave her that same attention. That notion kicked her libido up in high gear, and she bit back a moan of longing. Looking away she forced herself to concentrate again, hoping he hadn't noticed.

Severus was an observant man; he had to be in order to succeed both at potions and spying. Now his observations told him that Gem wanted him, her sexual attraction to him was obvious and flattered him. She might not be defined as attractive by anyone else, but he had seen his share of dark things. A slightly disfiguring scar didn't put him off in the least.

The attention she gave him made him pause and hindered his ability to concentrate, so he made his excuses early some nights. Later on he would lie on his bed pleasuring himself, trying to imagine Lily here with him, touching him. It was no use, the picture of a white blonde woman with hungry golden eyes kept popping into his mind. This unsettled him so much that he gave up and forced himself to relax into sleep. In his dreams his subconscious took over and he dreamed intensely erotic dreams full of that same woman pleasuring him in any way possible.

Gem hurried back to her rooms after the last brewing session of the week was over, and took a cold shower to dampen her libido before going to bed. She knew that she would notice if Severus had any nightmares, she was so attuned to him by now. So she let her dream self just drift flitting in and out of other people's dreams. She tweaked a bit here and there to ward off nightmares or to plant suggestions which would help the person in question with existing problems or worries. All the while she kept an eye out for Harry`s dreams.

She was by now attuned to him too, of course not in the same way as to Severus. No Harry felt more like her child, which was fine for her, as she planned to protect him just as a mother would. She hadn't protected Harry's dreams as long as she had for Severus. But after encountering Lily in Severus' dreams for years, she had finally become too curious. She had searched for the dreams belonging to Lily's son and found him at last, and for the next two years she had switched between his and Severus' dreams protecting both from their worst nightmares. And now she had deliberately placed herself where she could make the most difference, hoping that she might entice Severus to help her rescue not only himself but also the boy who lived from their fate.

Not finding Harry's dreams anywhere she drifted back to her meadow, relaxing there while she waited for the next day.

A week after first meeting Gem, Severus woke with a raging hardon, and deciding to give up all pretense he took his aching cock on his hand, while masturbating he let his thoughts dwell on the intensely erotic dreams he`d had the last nights. Finally reaching the orgasm he had been seeking, he allowed himself to relax a bit longer.

The mixture of sexual frustration from going too long without a sex partner, coupled with the unusual experience of someone wanting him made him briefly contemplate how he could have used her attraction for him to entice her into his bed if he had been a different sort of man. But one thing his mother had managed to do before dying far too early, had been to instill some rather old fashioned ideals in him. According to these one didn`t have affairs with single witches, one married them. Of course this was the Pureblood tradition, which was common in the wizarding world even now.

Severus did not believe in connecting to another person in a deep way, after the fiasco with Lily he was not willing to set himself up for such a hurt ever again. He would be more than satisfied if he could find someone to help lessen his normal frustration, and that normally meant going to muggle prostitutes. For now he could do without a sex partner, he decided and shaking off the rest of his sleepiness he quickly banished these thoughts wowing to try to keep away from Gem when possible.

However keeping away from Gem was not possible as he was still testing her capabilities. Gem and Severus continued brewing in this way for a couple of weeks, both getting more and more sexually aware of each other. Severus reacted in typical fashion trying to deny the feelings, locking up his frustrations tightly. Still he noticed her increasing sexual attraction and reactions to him. Her attraction was like a potent drug, it made her more attractive to him in return, and he went to bed aching with need every night.

Many nights he ended up getting up again to go experiment with new potions when it became clear that even he couldn't sleep when he was so horny. At some point his own hand wasn't enough to bring him to completion, and he became more and more frustrated as the days went by.

In the end he resorted to his stash of firewhiskey, trying to drown his need in a good glass of spirits. He sat in front of his fire nursing his one allotted whiskey, trying to think about anything else and failing miserably. But he didn't dare drink more than one, after growing up with an alcoholic and abusive father he was too afraid he might end up walking the same path.


	4. Chapter 4

An accident with severe results.

Suddenly Severus sat bolt upright, had he finished up his latest project properly? His truth salve could be very profitable if it worked. The aurors always complained that veritaserum was too difficult to handle as many prisoners refused to take the serum, and some actually grew resistant. But if you could coat a small patch of skin with a salve and get similar results this might be easier and there would be less risk of developing resistance. At least that had been his idea when starting the project, but now he couldn't remember if he had added all his ingredients last night. Nothing for it, now he had to go check or he definitely wouldn't get any sleep tonight. Not that he could or would brew with alcohol in his system, but he at least could see if the salve looked ok.

Quickly he made his way to the lab, and went over to cauldron holding the mixture. To his horror the smell was so pungent that he sneezed violently, it happened so suddenly that he wasn't able to shield his nose and mouth in time. Drops of saliva flew into the mixture making it froth dangerously.

While asleep Gem had one of her glimpses of the future, in which she saw Severus blasted by an exploding cauldron. This made her go directly from a deep sleep to a run, her instincts screaming that this would be happening now and that she just HAD to try to protect Severus. There was no way she would let him be hurt if she could help it. Running full out she burst through the door of the lab just as he sneezed into a nearby cauldron, desperately she threw herself at him so that her body was between him and it. At the same time she tried putting up a shield between them and the now violently frothing cauldron. Luckily as the cauldron blew up, her haphazard shield took most of the brunt. But in her haste she hadn't made the shield good enough; a couple of drops of the potion hit her outstretched arm and his hand.

Severus couldn't understand what had happened. One minute he had made a rookie mistake, that could have had devastating consequences and the next minute Gem had burst in flinging herself between him and a cauldron that was about to explode. How? Why? He couldn't fathom either. A devil went into him at this moment, his own barely slumbering sexual frustrations coupled with unexplained and barely controllable urges made him say hoarsely: "Well it seems as if you just volunteered to test my new truth salve, now seems a good time to ask what you think of me."

Still clutching him she looked deep into his black eyes, saying clearly "you don't need any truth potions to learn how I feel about you, if you just had asked I would have freely admitted my intense attraction to you. I would also admit that I love you so much that I would do anything for you, I would lie for you, steal for you, die for you or even kill for you".

Severus opened his mouth, probably to ask more questions but she dared not let him, so she drew him down and kissed him fervently on the lips. The sudden surge of intense sexual arousal overwhelmed both of them, tearing desperately at each other's clothes they managed to stumble into his quarters.

Still frantically touching every available piece of skin they made it to the fireplace where they sank onto a conveniently placed rug and at last succeeded in tearing off any remaining clothes. Desperately they touched and kissed each other till Severus couldn't stand it anymore, desperately needing to be inside her he barely managed to position his cock at her entrance before surging inside her.

He registered vaguely that she had been a virgin until then, and managed pausing briefly to let her adjust to him being inside her. Soon the urge to fuck her hard and fast became overwhelming, and unable to resist he fucked her hard while they both clawed at each other in mindless need. They reached their orgasms simultaneously, and lay there together gasping for air.

A long while after he managed to lift himself slightly from her, and still buried deep within her body he commented inanely "well that was an unexpected side effect, I had not foreseen that the salve would make one so sexually aroused that one lost all reason. Smiling she just tightened her legs around him, and reached up to gently caress his face saying. "You might want to rethink that recipe a bit, not that I mind the result in the least. I hadn't even dared hope that we would end up like this, I was fully prepared to lust for you from a distance".

He slowly dethatched himself from her, not wanting to speak any more in case the truth salve still could be effective he just led her into the shower. He turned on the water, and turned towards her to let it stream over them both.

This was the first time he actually looked at her nude body, and his eyes immediately went to the thin white scars showing slightly at each side of her body. He grabbed one of her shoulders and turned her around, so that he could see her backside.

It was crisscrossed by thin white scars from top to bottom. He let his fingers ghost lightly over the scarring. Looking up he saw her watching him over her shoulder. "Whip"? He asked. "Yes, horsewhip" turning her round again he asked "who"?

"My father. He wasn't happy that his only heir was female. He started with my mother first though, you probably know that many purebloods have a difficulty conceiving. My mother was no exception, so he tried whipping her in order to get her to become pregnant again after she gave birth to me. Of course whipping and getting pregnant isn't something that go to well together. So obviously she never conceived again. In the end she vanished, I don't know if he killed her or if she escaped without taking me. After she vanished my father started in on me, I am unsure if he was trying to kill me or not, but he almost succeeded".

Not speaking again they showered together and he found to his surprise that his cock again engorged. He sat down on his knees, allowing himself to indulge again. Letting his thumbs slide slowly up her soft thighs, and scooting in between her thighs he tasted her cunt. He let his tongue slide slowly over the lips of her vagina and teased her clit with his tongue. He teased her relentlessly until she was gasping and shuddering.

Standing up he muttered a spell that created a convenient stool and lifted her onto this before sliding into her in one hard thrust. This time he fucked her slow, keeping his eyes on her face he slid in and out of her body keeping one of his thumbs on her clit. In no time she was wailing in ecstasy, her head thrust back. He slowly increased speed; until he found the speed his own body wanted and felt her tighten around him again just as his own orgasm washed over him.

He stood there a moment, enjoying the after effects of another mind-blowing orgasm before again disentangling himself from her. Finally turning off the shower, he then helped her down from the stool, and dried them both with a flick of his wrist. He was by now exhausted, and wanted to sleep more than anything. So he just led Gem to his bedroom and lay down on the bed with her. Within moments they were sound asleep, entangled with each other.


	5. Chapter 5

An honourable solution

Severus woke slowly from an extremely relaxing sleep. There was something warm with him in his bed, and it took him some time to wake enough to remember the events of yesterday. He opened his eyes and looked at the sleeping witch in his bed. Damn he thought to himself, so it wasn't a dream after all. That would have been immensely preferable, now he had managed to complicate his life badly. He was after all an honorable man, and having just had very unprotected sex with a virginal pureblooded witch he was forced to do the right thing. Sighing deeply and closing his eyes, he finished his musings with an admission that he would have to marry the woman as fast as he could manage.

He turned onto his side and looked at his soon wife to be, letting one hand slide over her body in a languid way. If he had to marry he should at least make sure to enjoy the perks that came with it. Her body was slender with high breasts that he found he enjoyed stroking. Lifting himself up on his elbows he began a serious examination of her body, using fingers; hands and mouth get to know every centimeter intimately. She woke up eventually, and tried to touch him back in retaliation. But he took her arms and pinned them above her head, tying her down with a tie he summoned from his wardrobe. He then settled down to an intimate and slow examination of her. She writhed beneath him seeking more firm touches. Finally his own needs had become too insistent to refuse himself further, so he slid up and into her again giving her a slow but thorough morning fuck.

He dressed quickly afterward and ordered breakfast, tea and coffee from one of the house elves. By the time she turned up, dressed in the same night dress she'd had on yesterday he had mentally prepared himself for the discussion to come. Still he chose to eat a bit and drink some coffee before speaking.

"Gem, uhm this thing that happened between us last night makes it necessary that we marry as soon as possible". At this she looked up at him, her face a perfect picture of utter surprise. She sat there staring at him for some moments, before taking his hand in hers saying "my love, there is no need for that. If you want me to share your bed, I will do so gladly. I belong heart and soul to you, and if you wish it I will happily serve as your mistress as long as you want".

Glaring at her he ground out, "one of the few things I can be proud of is my honor, and you will not make me loose it by not marrying me when I may have got you pregnant with my child is that clear? I thought you said you would do anything for me, but you won't let me keep my honor"?

She looked down a moment then back at him, "if you really fell that strongly about this then yes I will marry you." Gem held up her hand, forestalling any comment, saying "before we do marry you should know this, a marriage may have consequences to you neither of us can foresee. As I say I was the heir to my father's estate, the responsibility entailed in being head of the family has been taken by my younger brother as I chose to go here to complete a mission involving you. But in my family magic chooses the head of family so it might choose you to be head instead of me if we marry".

He looked seriously at her, "we will have to risk that, as I will absolutely not risk any child of mine being born out of wedlock. Will you tell me more about this mission involving me? How did you know of me before we even met"?

"This is a long story, and involves rather a lot of information you might not want. I am aware that choices have been something you haven't been given much of in your life. And I want for you to be able to choose a bit more freely for once. For now I'll just say that I have been watching you from afar for a long time, and I have been guarding your dreams for years."

He looked at her completely surprised, "YOU are my dream guardian" he asked "I thought you smelled familiar, but I newer guessed that you were that same woman that has been rescuing me from nightmares for so long".

He kept looking at her, thinking that he understood how she had known of him beforehand, but he could not see how she could love him. She had probably seen every part of his pathetic life through his dreams and nightmares, and knew of all his selfish mistakes. How could anybody love someone as flawed as him? Especially after seeing his nightmares where he failed so miserably to keep those he loved safe?

For once his thoughts must have shown on his normally impassive face, because she took his hand again saying sternly "don't doubt my love for you, I have seen the best and worst of you, and I love every part of what is you. Not many men could go over to the dark only to turn against it for the sake of love. Not many men could keep giving again and again without hope of reward. This is why I love you, and I will state this again and again until you're fed up with hearing it or you're ready to believe me. If I can I will give you anything that is mine to give, without any conditions or reservations as long as you want me to".

He stood up from the table saying "well first I want us to marry immediately, so that there can be no doubt that honor has been served. Then maybe you can tell me more about this mission after that"?

Smiling at him she let him help her up from the chair she had been sitting in, and said in a teasing manner "and how pray tell do you plan to go about getting married immediately? Do you know someone with enough sway to get permission, an officiator and all the needed documents prepped that fast"?

He just smiled grimly and admitted that he might just know someone with enough sway to make this happen. He then ushered her to the door and told her to go get ready, she went to her own rooms feeling that the speed with which her life had just changed was almost making her dizzy.

Severus made sure he was presentable before flooing to Lucius Malfoy`s summer villa. Lucius might be unpredictable, dangerous and a bloody muggle hating and murdering bastard. But he also knew very well the demands of honor, and he had influence enough to get a marriage ceremony going within hours if he so wanted. A house elf met him in the foyer of the Malfoy villa, asking how it could help him. "Ask your master if it might be convenient for Severus Snape to disturb him so early, and tell him it is a rather important matter concerning honor" hearing this, the elf bowed deeply and popped off. Severus stood at almost at attention while awaiting the elf's return, hoping that Lucius would be curious enough to see him at such short notice. His patience was rewarded when the elf popped back saying "master will see you now, if mister will follow Dink please? The elf led him through the villa, pausing only to knock briefly at a door before popping away again.

"Come" said Lucius' voice from within the door. Severus composed his face back into its customary expression when facing Malfoy, and went into the room. "Severus, my friend to what do I owe this unexpected visit"? Lucius said indicating the chair opposite him. "Lucius, it is good to see you. I hope that you are well"? Lucius just waved his hand imperiously, saying "cut the chitchat, Severus. I am sure you didn't appear here out of the blue in order to enquire about my health. Now, what do you want"?

"Indeed no I did not disturb you so early just to enquire about your health; I am in need of your assistance in a matter involving my honor. You might know that the doddering old fool Dumbledore left me the dubious pleasure of staying at the school this summer to help in readying another of the defense teachers that go through Hogwarts with alarming frequency, for the upcoming school year. Making a long story short, a potions mishap worthy of a complete amateur has ended up with me accidentally besmirching both her and my own honor. To rectify this I feel that I must marry her immediately. I came here hoping you could expedite matters for me".

Lucius looked searchingly at him and said, "this woman, is she..."?

"A pureblooded witch, yes" Severus answered. "And the potion in question made us both lose any inhibitions, now unless we marry quickly both our reputations might end up soiled. Not an option I assure you, I rather wish to retain my honor as far as possible. " Lucius traced his upper lip with a long finger, saying in a thoughtful manner "well it might be worse, it might have been that mudblood you fancied so badly years ago. I will take this in hand my friend, rest assured that your honor will be restituted as soon as possible. Leave me to make all arrangements, and I will send one of the elves with the time and place for the ceremony. What is the name of the witch in question"?

"Ms Germaine Schultz" answered Severus. Lucius told Severus to go back and get ready, admonishing him to change to something appropriate, before summoning a house elf to show him out. Severus flooed back to Hogwarts, and went directly to Gems quarters to warn her. She looked a bit disbelieving when he told her to dress in her best robes and to be ready for a message detailing time and place at any time. But she quickly agreed to be ready when called for.


	6. Chapter 6

The marriage ceremony

Within hours a house elf popped into Severus' quarters in order to announce that the ceremony would take place in two hours, and that it would transport mister and missus there now. By then Severus was as ready as he ever could be. He told the elf to follow him, and walked to Gems quarters again. A house elf greeted him, and said "mistress is ready now; I wills bring her to you." It went away towards the bedroom, and just as suddenly it came back with Gem trailing behind. "I hope this is OK" Gem asked turning around to show the rather simple dark blue dress robes she was wearing. This is about the only non black dress robes that I own". Severus thought the robes were well enough chosen, they complimented her figure nicely and were obviously both expensive and of good quality. "Those are ok, I guess. I don't have any rings to present; I do hope we can manage without. If not Lucius may be able to procure some".

Her elf then presented a small ring box to him with a bow, saying "Trinket popped home to fetch these in case master and mistress needed them".

Thank you Trinket that was thoughtful of you" Gem said to the elf. She then lay her hand on Severus" arm, and let him guide her out into the hallway where the Malfoy elf waited.

They flooed together with the elf to the Malfoy`s summer residence, where obviously the ceremony would be taking place. Gem was taken in hand by another elf that stood there waiting, and Severus was shown into a large bedroom where what was obviously a tailor was waiting together with both Lucius and Draco. "I do have clothes already Lucius, these were even a gift from you at one time" Severus said. Lucius and Draco just grimaced, while the tailor hurriedly busied himself with the mass of dress robes waiting.

Lucius finally said "Severus, this is your wedding. You simply cannot get married in your normal robes. We must at least try to keep up appearances. With the right spin this wedding will appear to be a romantic elopement and not anything else. This is important in order to retain your reputations".

Severus had to admit that Lucius probably knew how to give the best spin to a story. How else could he have been the most trusted lieutenant to the dark lord and still escaped with only a light stain on his reputation when the dark lord fell. "If you insist Lucius, I will trust in your superior knowledge of such things".

Gem was led into a beautiful airy room, all done up in golden hues. Here a beautiful woman was waiting. She came towards Gem with hands outstretched, not seeming to react to her facial scar at all. The woman was saying "welcome to our holiday home I am Narcissa, and you must be Ms Schultz".

"Thank you for the kind welcoming; do please call me Gem. I also wish to thank you for arranging this at such a short notice". Narcissa just smiled and commented "it has been a challenge, but I was eager to see Severus finally marry. It is a relief that he finally has found a suitable woman to settle down with. And as he is an old friend of my husband I especially wanted to see that this was properly done. If you will come with me I have arranged for an up and coming robe designer to assist us in the adjoining room, I do hope you will allow us to give you this as a wedding gift". Not hearing any protests Narcissa led Gem into the next room where a mass of different robes and the designer were waiting.

After what seemed like hours Gem was finally dressed in a simple but beautiful light gold robe that complimented her eyes. She was slightly made up and matching jewelry had been added. Gem was glad Narcissa had thought to provide a screen to dress behind, this way she didn"t have to explain her scars.

When Gem came out the last time, Narcissa finally exclaimed "you look stunning; Severus won't know what hit him. Since no one from your family could be here Lucius could give you away if that suits you"? Gem had to admit to herself that being given away by Lucius might be beneficial. He was after all very influential, and it may even help her finish her mission easier if she was known to be an associate of his. It was in addition a very good idea to get as close to Lucius as possible in order to be able to gain easy access to Malfoy manor later on. So in light of this she readily agreed to the proposal.

Severus stood in the garden in front of the officiator, waiting for his future wife. He fought to not fidget with his new dress robes while he contemplated the drastic change in his life that was happening today. The few times he had envisioned his possible marriage the other main person had been Lily.

He allowed himself a brief moment of regret and remembrance before focusing back on the future and as he did so, music swelled suddenly. He turned to the garden entrance; from there his wife to be came walking slowly up to where he was standing with Lucius. Her face was shining with love, and he felt his throat constrict a bit. He was really getting married today, it was scary really; all of a sudden he was becoming responsible for another person.

Gem walked towards the man she loved, and she could not help but let her love for him show on her face. To publicly show love was of course not normally done in pureblood circles, but as it was her wedding day she hoped that this would be forgiven.

When the ceremony was finished, the Malfoys invited them to dinner. While they ate Gem had to force herself not to touch Severus too often, and tried not to gawp at him like a love struck idiot. The dinner was probably amazing, but Gem could just as well have skipped it. Her thoughts were entirely focused on him, so she was glad when the dinner was finished and they could hopefully take their leave.

Luckily Severus managed to fend off an invitation to spend the night in one of the guest suites; by making the excuse that they had potions brewing that needed their attention. Gem took off the borrowed jewelry, and handed it back to Narcissa thanking both her and Lucius profusely for making all this effort on their behalf, finally after both thanking their hosts several times they flooed back to Severus' quarters.


	7. Chapter 7

Making choices

Gem felt a bit silly in her finery, so she asked to borrow Severus` shower not wanting to go back to her own quarters until she and Severus had talked. After all she could call for Trinket to fetch new clothes, and he did deserve some answers sooner rather than later. She was a bit surprised that he followed her into the shower room and looked enquiringly at him. He just smirked and helped her off with her robes before taking off his own and joining her in the shower. When she raised her eyebrows at him, he stated "since I have just traded away my freedom I can at least enjoy what I have bought with it". He turned her so that she stood with her back to him, and then let his hands roam freely. He was everywhere, taking his time and using hands and mouth expertly but never let her touch him back. Only when she was begging did he urge her to place her knees onto the stool he had conjured earlier. He then entered her slowly from behind, placing one of his fingers onto her clit. She cried out, almost coming immediately. "yes" he breathed moving slowly back and forth within her while circling his finger round and round her clit. She was soon reduced to incoherency, and he finally rewarded her by pressing down on the clit while slamming hard into her. This made her come so hard that she screamed, he just stopped letting her orgasm flow around him. When she came back to herself he slapped her ass hard, saying "you are mine now, you will spread your legs whenever and wherever I want is that clear?" she could only nod weakly "good," he said and started thrusting again. His wicked fingers and hard thrusts soon had her going again, and this time he came too.

When they finally left the shower room Gem was sure her legs had almost become jelly. She took only her small bag containing the special vials she had prepared and let him lead her to the bedroom and lay down on the bed with him. "You promised some answers" he said looking searchingly at her.

"Yes, well most answers you will have to see for yourself. I will however give you your first opportunity to choose between something easy and something hard". She waved her hand towards the bag; he picked it up and withdrew three vials that he placed on the dresser. The vials all had notes attached, she asked him to hand her the one labeled truth potion light.

She took two drops of this saying "I want you to know I am telling the truth as I know it. The two drops of potion I took will induce me to tell the truth, when I choose to answer, but I will be able to not answer if I wish. Now you may choose one or the other of the other two; just know that if you choose the hard truth it will be difficult to go back while if you choose comfortable illusions you can keep these for as long you like. Both will induce dreams, in one there is the life of a person my mission is to save. In the other there are only your normal dreams".

He looked a bit surprised but only asked "you need me in order to save this person you are talking about" he asked.

"No, but your help would make things both easier and safer for all concerned"

"And how do you know that this person must be saved?

"I have seen his dreams, and I have seen also glimpses of the future. These glimpses have shown me a future neither of us desire. It might be bigheaded of me, but I set out to try changing this future to something hopefully better".

"You... See the future..."?

"Yes, divination is an imprecise science of course but I couldn't take the chance that I was wrong. If I stand by and do nothing I am damned by my inaction. But you may choose not to be involved. Just be aware that all of my visions till now have come through, for example the business with your exploding cauldron".

"And if I do not make any choice?" he asked

"Not choosing is also a choice" she said smiling at him. "I promise to not force you into anything, whatever you choose will be ok with me. I do hope however that you will refrain from trying to make me choose between you and what I feel I have to do. I will try to choose both as I cannot in good conscience refrain from helping this person we have been talking about. This might end up in all our deaths, plus many more. I am afraid I cannot tell you anymore directly before you have made your choices. I am not willing to destroy your ability to choose freely so know that I can probably manage on my own, and that your help is not mandatory. It is entirely your choice whether to assist or not".

He stood up from the bed and took up one of the vials reading out loud what the note said "easy comfortable illusions", he put this down and picked up the other. Again he read out loud "hard truth". He smelled the bottle, and not detecting any harmful substances he without hesitation downed the vial with a grimace and said drily "I have learned the hard way that the hard truth is always infinitely preferable. Knowledge is power, and truth is knowledge after all".

She then explained how he now would dream snippets of another's life he would not see who this was before the magic deemed him ready. She thought he needed knowing the truth about the person she was trying to save. He could at any time ask her to stop the dreams temporarily but the dreams wouldn't stop completely until the magic had run its course.

Severus just grimaced and got back up into the bed with her. Feeling unsure she looked away so that he couldn't see the expression on her face, and asked uncertainly whether they would live and sleep together as man and wife from now on. He took a hold of her chin, turning her to face him and said "I have paid the price for you; from now on you belong to me. You will warm my bed, or any other furniture I choose to test. As I have burdened myself with a wife I mean to have a proper wife complete with sleeping and living together. Will you be a loyal obedient wife or not"?

She cuddled up against him declaring "I will be whatever you want wherever you want and for as long as you want. To be your wife is a privilege I never dreamed I would have. I am happy to admit that I belong to you". He let her stay cuddled up against him, and they soon both fell asleep.

In the dream his body felt foreign for Severus, and within moments he knew he was within another's body. This other was scrawny little boy and he felt sensations coming as if from a distance. The boy was hungry, much hungrier than normal in fact he felt totally starved. He was also in pain, Severus knew all levels of pain far too good, and he recognized this as a low level pain. Constant and niggling, but not life threatening. Last but not least the boy was somewhere totally dark, cramped and almost airless. Severus was disturbed, very disturbed. After living with an abusive parent and being head of Slytherin he knew all too well the signs. If it was one thing he did not and could not condone it as physical and verbal abuse.

How could she think he wouldn't help? He would have to ask her later. In the dream new glimpses of the same boy's environment happened to Severus. He was screeched at by some bony woman, hit by an extremely overweight boy and yelled at by a mustachioed man. Severus knew neither of these persons, so he could not imagine who the boy was either. After more glimpses of various abusive interactions his dreams faded back to normal everyday matters.

Severus woke feeling distinctly unsettled, but his wife wasn't there. To get the answers he needed he got up and went to find her. When he came out into the living room she looked up from a chair by the fire. "You're awake; did you sleep ok despite the dreams"?

"Never mind that, how can you think I would not assist someone being abused, you must know my history if you have indeed watched my dreams for so long. My antipathy against all forms of abuse should be obvious"?

She looked at him seriously, saying "yes but we both know that often your hands have been tied. This case is also special as this boy is a relative of someone you don`t much like, and that you will have to go against Dumbledore in order to help this boy. I want to give him the choice between being adopted and staying put, but with more protection from his family. If I have to remove this boy from his family entirely, this will have to entail a blood adoption. When it comes to the option of adoption I was originally planning to offer adopting him myself, but now that we're married that probably am out of the question". At this Severus stared dumbfounded at her. "You planned to... blood adopt him isn`t that a bit extreme".

"As I say, this is a special case. You will understand when your potion induced dreams have ended. I cannot tell you much more now, so how about some breakfast and later some brewing?

He looked like he would have liked more information, but still followed her to the breakfast table and while they were eating a meal provided by the elves they stayed silent both busy with their own thoughts. While they were brewing again later, Gem managed to find many occasions to caress some part of Severus. He looked bewildered at her most of the time, but she just smiled and continued touching whenever possible. Finally he grabbed her hands saying "is there a special reason for all this touching"?

"I like touching you, and you haven't let me before. So I am taking the opportunity" she said and craned up to kiss him softly on the lips.

Later on as they sat eating dinner together, he gruffly informed her that as she had now adequately brewed almost all the potions he had set out to test her on he was prepared to let her teach potions if she so should wish. But then he proceeded using his normal scathing comments, to categorize his pupils in the subject the most dismal bunch of dunderheaded fools ever. Saying he wouldn't be surprised if she found no one that were able to brew even the simplest potion correctly, at this she just laughed at him declaring that with his utter lack of patience and harsh teaching style she wasn't surprised that nobody brewed good potions. They were all so intimidated that they could not even think correctly.

"If you keep this up when teaching defense, you'll have the worst record of any defense teacher ever. You'll end up scaring the students so badly that they won't be able to perform even the easiest of spells. In fact as I still haven't tried brewing wolfsbane, which I happen to know was on your list, how about a bet. If I brew a wolfsbane even you can't criticize, you'll modify your teaching style a bit. You will show less blatant favoritism, there will be less taking of points from Gryffindor and the goal will be to try being civil to the pupils. I have a theory your pupils will learn much more that way.

"And if I find something to criticize"?

"I will pay any price that you set, what will it be? Taking up divination with Trelawney, gathering all your potions ingredients for the next year"?

"Wait and see, wait and see" he said allowing himself a small smirk in anticipation.

The brewing of the wolfsbane went on for the next few days. Each night he had more dreams, in which the boy was worked to the bone, starved, maligned, chased and so on. Severus became more and more disturbed for every dream, and tried drowning himself in brewing for the infirmary in order to forget them. Finally the day for the last check on the wolfsbane came, and when he got up from bed Severus was sure he could find even the smallest detail to pounce on concerning the quality, and looked forward to claiming his prize. "Are you ready to admit defeat" he asked her when he joined her at the breakfast table.

"Not in the least, it is you who will bend down and admit defeat" she said offering a cup of tea. "Would you like some breakfast"?

"Not now, part of your price to pay will be to hand feed me later" he joked, his eyes glittering.

After drinking their tea they proceeded to the lab, trading barbs all the way. When they reached the lab, she ran to the cauldron and waited there grinning widely. "Admit it, this is perfectly brewed" she gloated. He suddenly found himself unable to anything else than "perfect, yes I must admit defeat". He then looked sharply at her, "did you..."?

"Dose you with my special truth serum, yes. I reckoned you would find fault in the brew without it. As nobody agreed on not cheating, I just cheated first. I gave you one drop of a special truth serum that I developed which is less potent than veritaserum. I used just enough to induce you to tell the truth about my wolfsbane, and no more" At this he just glared at her, but she smiled back, not in the least intimidated "May I ask what you had envisioned as my punishment if I failed?"

He crossed his arms over his chest and answered scowling at her "correcting all tests for the lower years, I hate those. They are always so badly written, and the pupils are just so damnably uninformed".

She went up to him and wound her arms round his shoulders "I'll correct for your lower years if you correct all tests for fifth years and up in both potions and defense. I"ll even write your lesson plans as compensation for cheating, what do you say"?

"I'll think on it"

"You do that" she said, reaching up to kiss him. "Shall we take a rest from brewing today? We could probably benefit from some fresh air". Grumbling a bit he reluctantly agreed, and let her guide him out of the lab.


	8. Chapter 8

Saving Harry

They spent the next few days brewing for the infirmary and experimenting. Severus became even more disturbed by his recurring dreams as they became harder and harder to push away. He got more and more angry with the people that the boy was living with. Even if the boy wasn't abused in exactly the way as Severus himself had been he was still being abused. Severus felt more and more connected to the boy because of their similar circumstances. He knew that the mental scars the boy would end up suffering under would be just as bad as his own more visible scars. At last early one night the dreams culminated and Severus saw the boys face for the first time. It was obviously Potter, his mind screamed against the realization. He didn`t want this to be Potter. Anybody but him would be preferable, as he couldn`t see how he could manage saving the son of somebody he hated so much. He tried fighting the dream, but suddenly he was elsewhere and Lily was sitting beside him looking at him earnestly.

"Sev" she said "I am glad to see you. I came because I wanted to plead for my son, I never intended for him to end up with that family and I have grieved to see him abused and belittled in such a way.

I am sorry for asking too much of you as always, but I hope you in memory of our friendship can find it in yourself to look past his resemblance to James. He is my son too, and he is more like me than you think; please save him Sev, take him into your home and your heart.

I know he needs you and that he desperately wishes for a family, but I also know that you have closed yourself to the possibility of love and family, so I wish to plead with you to open your heart again. For the sake of our friendship, please stop closing yourself off to others".

She then lifted her hand and let it stroke over his face saying "dear Sev, forgive yourself; as I have and forgive me for letting our friendship die. I want you to be happy, live, love and have a family as you deserve. You are a good man, and I would be happy to see you as Harry`s adopted father knowing that you would protect him and be there for him when I cannot".

Severus suddenly went directly from a deep sleep to being wide awake, and he went out into the sitting room to brood. Lily in his dream had been so real, so different from how she had been when he last saw her. So he hoped she might have really come from the beyond to visit his dream. He felt his heart lighten at the thought that she had finally forgiven him even if it was in a dream, and he felt this previously unknown feeling of lightness wrap around him. As he sat there contemplating, he took stock of the years since he had lost Lily`s friendship, and finally made some peace with himself and his choices. Lily`s forgiveness, was the drop that finally burst the dam of self recrimination, anger and bitterness that had drowned all other feelings in him.

For days after the final dream he was withdrawn and pensive, thinking over whether or not to help save Harry and offer to adopt him. He didn`t feel as if he deserved this second chance, but he thought back on his history with Lily and remembered her impassioned plea to save her son, finally he let his last reservations go. He managed to admit to himself that Harry was a part of Lily too, and he just couldn`t let her son stay in a place where he was treated like that.

He knew he had to act, and that he had to let the boy know him as he really could be without the old hatred binding him. He would probably never be the most approachable of men, but he just hoped he could manage to not alienate the boy totally as he didn`t wish to lose the last little bit of Lily that still lived. Lily had asked this of him, and he wished to honor her last request even though it was a dream Lily that had made it.

Luckily his wife didn`t ask him about his mood, she just supported him and let him make up his mind unhindered. Finally he asked her, "have you any idea how hard it was seeing that the boy you meant is Potter`s kid". She just looked calmly back at him commenting "so the dreams have culminated, have you decided to help me to try removing him from that situation"?

"Even Potters kid does not deserve that, so yes we will offer to remove him" he answered. 'But I don't understand why you need me"?

"I need you because you can discover where he is hidden when I cannot. Firstly you knew one of his guardians and secondly you're perfectly placed to find the person watching him for Dumbledore, a Mrs. Figg."

"I don't know any of his guardians, I have seen them in my dreams, and I absolutely did not recognize them, if I had I would have been sorely tempted to go there and give them the hexing of a lifetime" he answered.

"You did know the woman, she was Lily's sister. You might know where she moved with her husband, but I would be surprised if you did know. I think she moved after you and Lily fell out. I just thought you might have heard despite that, and if all else fail you might be able to find this Mrs. Figg. She is a squib and associate of Dumbledore; whom I have seen in glimpses from Harry's life. I know she sometimes babysits the boy when his guardians want to do anything without him. Think about it, and if you can't remember or can't find another way, contact Dumbledore. You can probably easily manufacture some excuse for visiting Mrs. Figg, but don't say we're contacting the boy. Dumbledore has his own plans that don't fit in with mine. And he will not allow us to interfere.

I hope you can do this, despite going against Dumbledore. My only argument is that Dumbledore despite being a great man has his limits. And as I have seen glimpses from the possible future I know that he could make a great many mistakes when it comes to Harry. Many of these mistakes would cost lives that could have been saved. In order to help you decide what to do I have a way for you to see some of the glimpses of the future that I have seen if you wish".

Looking pensive he answered with another question "would Dumbledore not interfere if he knew the boy was abused" She looked seriously back at him saying "did he interfere for you?

I happen to know that Dumbledore will keep Harry where he is despite everything, because there is a blood protection in place. This is why there must be a blood adoption of the boy. If you decide to help me, we must also find a family willing to adopt the boy, someone not caring for just the boy who lived but for Harry himself."

"But you said you thought to adopt him yourself" he interjected.

"Yes, but now that I am married to you this would mean you would become his father. I didn't think you would be able to do that. You still hate James Potter, and the boy looks a lot like James. I'm just hoping that your love for Lily lets you care enough to save him anyway".

By Friday morning some days after his last dream, and three weeks before school would start he was waiting for her when she got up. "We're getting the boy on Sunday" was all he said. She just looked enquiringly at him saying " why Sunday"?

"I have a couple of things I want done first" he said. She just shrugged and went to the breakfast table before commenting "the boy might not want to be adopted; we should keep that in mind. I think we should offer him either to stay but with better protection, or we could offer to try find some family to adopt him".

He got up behind her and said "I think the boy will be desperate for a family. And he will agree to being adopted by us. I will not let him be where he is, you're right in that I loved Lily too much to let her son be treated that way." In answer she turned to him and put her arms around him, kissing him fervently.

The next days he took her to places of significance for him around the castle, and they spent their time with each other, talking and brewing. In the evenings he made up for his preoccupation the last few days by making love to her every night. In addition Severus spent some time readying a room in case Harry chose to come with them.

Monday she asked him how he would find out where they were going, and he just answered "I have my ways" in a mysterious manner. When they were ready to go suddenly he asked; "has the boy been told anything about the wizarding world"?

"Hagrid has taken him shopping; He said so when I talked to him earlier. But you know Hagrid, he might have said only very general things. I for one think that Harry needs to know more than either Hagrid or Dumbledore would tell him. I am going to offer him as much information as possible in order to give him what he needs to be safe".

He looked a bit shocked, "sending Hagrid to someone like Harry! Not that his heart isn't in the right place, but I'm not sure he was the right person. Oh well we'll just see what he has told the boy". He held out his hand to her in order to guide her into the floo. He threw a handful of floo powder into the hearth shouting "Mrs. Figgs residence, Privet Drive Surrey"

They exited into a dingy little room smelling strongly of cats. A wizened old woman awaited them there. "Ah you're here, welcome to my house. Argus didn't say why you were here, just that you needed access to my floo. Can I help find what you need"?

"No thank you, you have helped already" answered Severus uncharacteristically polite. "We will be on our way".

Mrs. Figg showed them out, and Severus led Gem along Privet drive. They were both keeping their eye out for the familiar house where Harry lived. They found it by spotting Dursley when he came home from something, they chose however to let some time go before going in. After waiting for a bit, they walked up to the house, and rang the door. "Let me take the lead Gem" Severus said, she nodded curtly to that. When the door opened, it was the obese bully who stood there. He blanched when he saw them, and tried slamming the door.


	9. Chapter 9

**The first story**

Severus lifted one hand, letting his magic flare and blasted the door open. The force lifted the boy bodily, and flung him into the hall. At the last moment Severus arrested his fall before he slammed into the wall, and asked coldly. "Where are your parents and Potter"?

The boy could only jibber, so Severus stuck him to the floor so that he couldn't escape. Then they went to look for Mr. and Mrs. Dursley. The Dusleys were just coming to investigate the commotion in the hall and Mr. Dursley looked about to explode when he saw the two of them standing there. Severus let his magic flare again, silencing them both before he then forced them all, boy included to go sit quietly in the family room. "You'll call the ministry here, we need to hurry" Gem exclaimed but Severus just smirked and said calmly "don't worry; I have isolated the house from the ministry's sensors. They are, and will remain blissfully unaware".

Severus then cast a charm identifying which room Harry was occupying and they then went up, knocking quietly on the door. "What is it aunt Petunia" the boy asked from within the door. Severus quietly muttered an unlocking charm, and the locked door went up. Gem then called to the boy "I am not your aunt Harry, but a concerned teacher from Hogwarts. I am here to check on you, may I come in? Harry opened the slightly ajar door a bit more, and stood in the doorway looking curiously between the two adults and the door. "Wasn't this door locked" he asked, "yes, but as a wizard Severus here can manage to unlock most doors" she said smiling at the boy. "Hello Harry, my name is Germaine but you can call me Gem. This here is Severus" at this she looked at Severus with raised eyebrow as if to ask whether it was ok for Harry to call him this. Severus just nodded curtly, and Gem went on "we are professors at Hogwarts, here to check on you. I take it that Hagrid took you shopping, and gave you some information. But he and we were a bit concerned when we learned how little you knew". The boy looked a bit unsure and said, "did aunt or uncle let you in here voluntarily"? Gem smiled at him saying "no chance of that, I think". They are sitting in the family room and have forgotten us entirely"

"Are you allowed to do such things" the boy asked looking even more unsure.

"Not really, but I won"t let such things hinder me. Do you wish to know more, or should we leave"?

Harry looked a bit shocked at the suggestion, "no I want to know all I can, please tell me more. But don`t hurt my relatives please".

"From what I know of how they have treated you they deserve everything they get, you are a very kind and forgiving guy Harry". At this Harry looked panicky, "what do you know of how my relatives treat me, and how do you know"?

"This is a long story Harry; may we make ourselves comfortable in your room maybe"? At this Harry stood back, letting Gem and Severus into his small room. The room was small, dark and stuffed with old broken toys "It is a bit full" said Harry looking a little abashed "my cousin keeps most of his old stuff in here, and I haven`t been able to get it cleaned up".

"Not a problem" Gem said, while Severus conjured a couple of chairs for them to sit in.

"I will start at one beginning of the story; I must confess that there can be several beginnings. But at it is a long and complicated story, it is difficult to know where to begin. I will begin with a misguided young man who had joined Voldemorts gang for all the wrong reasons. He heard part of a prophesy that was made by a failed seer. Not thinking it important, he still hastened to tell his master what he had heard; in case his master would be interested. He didn"t for one instant think that Voldemort would react with targeting your parents but that was the result. As it happens this young man had been a friend of your mothers, and the instant he knew what Voldemort was planning he turned against him. He went over to Dumbledore and became a spy for something called the order of the Phoenix".

Severus had been sitting there looking at his hands, but now he looked up at Harry and said "I want to be honest with you from the start Harry, this man was me. I fell into a bad crowd; this is of course no excuse. I hope as you hear about how my life was at this point, you will one day be able to forgive me the wrong I unwittingly did you".

Severus paused gathering his courage "I grew up with an abusive father and a weak mother, by the time I went to Hogwarts I was desperate to distance myself from my muggle father and belong somewhere else.

I had become friends with your mother earlier, and it was me who told her about magic and how she was a witch. But when we went to Hogwarts we were put in different houses. I was in Slytherin and your mother was a Gryffindor, and these houses have always been at each other's throats. During the years I got in a lot of trouble for being friends with her and I suppose the opposite happened to her. It so happened that your father was in the same house as your mother, and he and his gang targeted me from the first. I`m sure that you won`t like hearing this but your father and his friends were bullies, mostly towards Slytherins, and especially towards me. Suffice to say that between pressures from my house, her house our other friends and your fathers gang and coupled with my own total idiocy I managed to turn your mother away from me by fifth year.

I reacted extremely badly, became angry at the world and buried myself in work. The final nail in the coffin came when my so called friends in my own house managed to lure me into the service of the Dark Lord. I was then desperate for recognition, grabbing onto anything that could give me somewhere to belong, and some way to shine. I never knew about the worst until I was too deep in to be able to escape. There were no alternatives but to serve or to die, but by that time I was enamored by the power I could get.

It wasn`t until they targeted your mother that I woke up and knew what a fool I had really been, I turned to Dumbledore, begging him to keep your mother safe. When he pressed me I ended up begging him to keep all of you safe, saying that I would give anything and do anything to save you all. I was told to spy on the dark lord, and I kept spying until he fell. I can`t deny that I did horrible things in his service. Always I wanted to get out, but I had to stay due to my promise to Dumbledore.

Now I can understand if you might not want me here after hearing this. Do you wish for me to leave"? Harry just shook his head, looking at Severus with big eyes, Severus signaled for Gem to take up the story again, sitting back into his chair.

"Don`t worry Harry Severus will probably tell you more about your mother later, and I will contact your fathers friends so that they can tell you other stories about him. Severus is not the best of persons for that, since they didn`t like each other much.

Now back to my story, when Severus turned to Dumbledore begging him to save your family, Dumbledore firstly made him a spy, and secondly told your parents to go into hiding. They performed a tricky charm that hid them from anybody that hadn`t been told of their whereabouts. The information was hidden within a living soul, a secret keeper that was the only one that could tell anybody where your parents were. Dumbledore even offered to be secret keeper himself but your parents chose a friend of theirs instead". Harry broke in at this point saying "but, how could Voldemort kill them if they were hidden that well"?

Gem said kindly "sadly they were betrayed Harry, the person they chose had been one of the dark lords minions all the time. Nobody knew, not even Severus as the dark lord didn`t let all of his death eaters as they were called know of each other"

At this Severus growled "Black that fiend, if I just could lay my hands on him" he looked murderous for a minute before Gem lay a hand on his saying, "it wasn`t Black, they made it look that way but they thought it would be too obvious. It was Pettigrew who was made secret keeper, and who betrayed them" At this Severus just gaped at her, and she continued "Black came to the house at the same time as Hagrid, but went off to confront Pettigrew. He found Pettigrew but Pettigrew began shouting about how Black could betray James and Lily, and after cutting off one finger he then blew up the street. He then escaped in his animagus form, while Black was arrested by the Aurors and flung into Azkaban prison without a trial.


	10. Chapter 10

Answers

Harry looked like one big question mark by now, so she signaled that he could speak. "Animagus, Azkaban; what are those and who was Black"?

"An animagus is a wizard that can transform into an animal at will. Your father, Black and Pettigrew all were animagi. Azkaban is the wizard prison, where we keep all prisoners. Sirius Black was your father`s best friend, plus your godfather and he is still imprisoned there, I want to free him but we will have to find a way to get him a trial. Maybe we could get Lucius involved; as Black is a cousin of his wife it could be shown that this could benefit Lucius in a way.

Sorry Harry here I again begin sprouting names that mean nothing to you, I have to get back on track here. I suspect you want to know how I know all this".

Harry just nodded weakly. "I have two quite special abilities, one is the ability to see glimpses of past and future and the other is to see and interfere in people's dreams.

The glimpses of past and future have told me much of the story behind your current situation. In addition my ability to see and modify dreams have made me able to function as a dream guardian for some few people, keeping their nightmares away, and guiding their dreams. Two of those people are Severus and you, I found Severus" dreams many years ago learning his story and about your mother. I became so curious about your mother from those memories and dreams after a while so I searched for you until I found your dreams.

Through these I know how your relatives treat you, so one reason I came here is to give you the choice of leaving here for good" Gem held up a hand to forestall any comments, saying "I want you to have all information available before choosing anything. So you should know that the reason why you are here is a bit complicated too.

When the dark lord came to your house, your mother chose to fling herself between you and him. This created a blood protection that is keyed to your mother's blood, which means that as long as you reside here together with your aunt you are safe from the Death Eaters. This also means that you will be less safe away from here. What I propose is for you to be blood adopted by someone, this will give you a slightly different appearance as your coloring or maybe your body or face might change slightly to reflect that of your adoptive parent and your mothers' protection be transferred to this person. This will make it safer for you to live with this person, but you should be aware that this will bind you to your new adoptive parents for the rest of your childhood and maybe beyond that too.

Originally I wanted to offer to adopt you myself, because I grew to love you as a son from the years that I have been watching your dreams. But as I just married Severus here it would probably be difficult for you to consider becoming father and son. In addition it would probably be difficult for you to justify being adopted by somebody like us, Severus is not one of the popular teachers and he will probably never be either. If you chose to let us adopt you, you will face a lot of questions from others.

All I could promise is to be there for you, and try to keep you safe and sound. Now this is going much too fast probably, we will not expect for you to answer now or even at all if you don`t want to. If you want we will try to find someone else that could be interested in adopting you, not as the boy who lived, but as just Harry.

You may even stay here and in case you choose to stay I will modify your guardians and your cousin so that they are not able to abuse you in any way as precaution, I will also leave a means of communicating with us, so that you can contact us if something happens.

Severus now stood up and kneeled before Harry, looking earnestly at him, "I loved your mother very much and honoring that love, I am prepared to be a father to you if you wish it. I do not expect to be forgiven my misdeeds so readily, but know that you have two people here that would sacrifice everything for you if you needed that. Whatever you choose we will be in the shadows, keeping you safe as you can be. You have our word at that".

Harry held his face in his hands sniffing a bit, before he managed to look up at them, he gulped a bit before saying "I have dreamed all my life of someone coming to fetch me. Of a family, I would never give up this opportunity in a million years. I don`t care what anybody says, if you are willing to be my family, I will happily be adopted by you. I totally understand the wish to belong somewhere, and I forgive you Severus for being human and making mistakes. I hope that you two will not be disappointed in me and that I can get to know my birth parents through you".

Gem lightly touched his hair saying "darling boy, you must not be afraid. I will love you whatever you do, but it is normal for a child to try their parents` patience. You will not be different, don't hesitate to be yourself. We will support you, and protect you to the best of our abilities. But we will probably be strict parents, trying your patience in return too.

As for your birth parents, I am not afraid of your mother`s memory. I love Severus enough to share him. It doesn`t scare me that you still both love her and always will, I am here and she is not. I have a suspicion that she wouldn`t mind if you found place for me in your hearts. I am sure Harry that however much your father disliked Severus, he would want for you to be safe and loved. He would probably be surprised that Severus became your adopted father, but he would want for you to have loving adoptive parents whoever they were. I promise to give you the opportunity to get to know your parents` friends and I promise to talk about your birth parents to the best of my abilities even though I never knew them".

Severus then touched Harry`s shoulder lightly, saying "I cannot promise to be best friends with your fathers gang, but I will try to be civil. And I will try to not talk about your father; you will just get the wrong ideas about him as I have no positive memories of him. Your father`s friends will fill your ears with histories about his pranks and adventures. I just ask you to not take everything at face value, and try to not buy into everything they say."


	11. Chapter 11

Leaving the Dursleys/The adoption

Gem then said to Harry "there is more I can tell you, but this is enough for now. We will talk more after you have made yourself comfortable at your new home. For now, gather together what you want, and we will modify your guardian`s memories again so that they think you were fetched by distant relatives. Then we will go to Gringotts to get the Goblins` help in performing the blood adoption. Severus, would you give Harry a slightly different appearance, just in case we meet someone who knows him"?

After disguising Harry slightly they went down to the Dursleys, and modified their memories. In addition Gem asked Severus to place a slight curse on Vernon and Petunia so that they would see Dudley more correctly. This curse made it so that the boy would seem extremely overweight in their eyes, until a time when he had lost at least forty pounds. Severus then sent them all to the lounge to watch TV; while Gem made sure Harry had what he needed.

After Harry had packed all he wanted, Gem and Severus then went out in order to let Harry say goodbye to the house alone. He soon joined them outside, having shrunk his luggage they took it and the cage holding Hedwig and walked together to the park from where they apparated to Diagon alley.

The apparition left Harry a bit nauseous, so they sat down at a convenient bench to catch their breath. Gem patted Harry`s back carefully, he looked quite surprised to be cared for like this. Severus after digging in his pockets for a bit drew out a small potion bottle. Giving this to Harry explaining that it would lessen the nausea, after gulping this down Harry grimaced at the taste but admitted that the nausea had lessened.

Gem took this opportunity to caution Harry that he should copy the adults when it came to how to address the Goblins and how to behave with them, she also asked him to read his books and not to speak or ask questions unless he had to. Together they then proceeded down the street, and into Gringotts bank which was open even if it was a Sunday.

Gem contacted a teller, and asked politely in gobbledygook for a meeting with the head of the bank. The Goblin teller sneered at them but they were soon shown in to an office and provided with food and drinks. It took some time for the head Goblin to appear, Harry had after some encouragement begun reading one of his books, while Gem and Severus just sat waiting in companionable silence. As the head Goblin appeared, Gem and Severus stood and bowed deeply to him, Gem saying in Gobbeldegook "greetings to the head Goblin of this great institution. I am Germaine Snape nee Schultz. I come requesting for your help in making a blood adoption of this young man".

By this time Harry was looking like himself, and as Gem gave him a sign he rose quickly and bowed to the Goblin. The Goblin stroked his chin thoughtfully and replied in gruff English "a blood adoption is a great step to take, are you sure you want to take this risk. I recognize this young man, and I know who will be after him and anybody sheltering him"

Gem answered seriously "yes I am willing to take any risk for Harry, I and he will exchange blood in a blood adoption and my husband Severus might choose to participate too". At this Severus just nodded to indicate that he too would be included saying "we should all exchange blood to make the protection as solid as possible", the Goblin rubbed his hands in anticipation saying "tricky, tricky but doable, and it will cost you. I need to take a blood drop now for some testing, and then if you give me a few moments I will get this set up". With this he collected a blood drop from each before vanishing out of the door. Gem and Severus sat down again, and Gem signaled to Harry that he should read on in his book.

After what seemed to be about an hour, the head Goblin came in and signaled for them to come with him and they followed in his wake without speaking. A new Goblin was waiting in the corridor, and after an exchange in Gobbeldegook this new Goblin took over the task of guiding them to their destination. He led them to a darkly lit room holding a new pair of Goblins and on a small table three small bottles of potion. The Goblins bowed to them, and one of them said in a gravelly voice "we understand that you two have made the decision to adopt this young man in a blood adoption ceremony. We are Gornak and Glonac, and it is our duty to guide you through the ceremony while our head Omagh finishes the paperwork. If you would join hands, and come stand before us".

Gem took Harry`s and Severus` hands and they bowed deeply before stepping in front of the small table together. The Goblins then proceeded to bind their hands with thin golden wires, chanting in low tones while they worked. One of the goblins held up a small golden knife, saying "I Gornak will now slice each of your fingers. You adults will leave a drop of blood each in the bottles that are not yours, while you young man will leave one drop of blood in each of the other`s bottles. Is this understood"?

They all nodded indicating that they had understood, and Gornak sliced Gem and Severus`s fingers first. They left one blood drop each in the bottle before Harry, before dropping an additional drop in their own and then exchanging bottles. Gornak then sliced Harry`s finger and he left a drop of blood in the bottles standing before Gem and Severus. The Goblins both now chanted in their gravelly voices before giving the sign that they should drink their potions. As they did so the golden wires glowed brightly and then dissolved, leaving very faint light gold lines round their wrists.

Glonac then beckoned them to follow him, and they all went to the other office where Omagh was working on a sheaf of parchments. He looked up when they entered and he said "if you are wondering the physical changes will take place in the night and now it is only this paperwork left to sign in order to make everything official. I also have some additional papers detailing old legacies that come into effect after your marriage and the adoption". Gem held out her hand and Omagh reluctantly handed her the paperwork. She read through it, laying some to the side. When she was finished she said lightly "Mr Potter`s assets will be held in trust by you until he is fifteen, we may decide to give him access at this point. I would appreciate it if you would appoint a trustworthy Goblin to keep them gathering interest. Any personal objects may be moved to his other vault." Omagh nodded at this and made a note in his book, while Harry looked at her with startled eyes mouthing "two vaults" but she just mouthed "later" back at him.

Gem then continued on "and when it comes to Mr. Snape`s holdings they are entirely his own matter, you will have these papers translated into English so that he may read them at his leisure" at this Omagh nodded and took the relevant papers from her hand. Gem then signaled to the two others, and they followed her in signing the papers that were left.

When this was finished Gem took a small sack out of one of her pockets saying in Gobbeldegook "I thank you Omagh and your associates for helping us today, here is a small token of our appreciation. If this is not enough to cover your fees, you can send a bill to me at Hogwarts". With this she again bowed to Omagh, Severus and Harry followed her example, and soon after they were shown out by another Goblin.


	12. Chapter 12

Inheritance

Below the stairs up to Gringotts Gem called Trinket and had her apparate them directly to Severus` quarters. After thanking Trinket for her help she said to Severus and Harry "I imagine you want to know what the papers were saying"?

Harry blurted out immediately "two vaults, I was only shown one when I went there with Hagrid"!

Gem sat down in one of the comfortable armchairs, composing herself before saying "as I understand it the vault you were shown was for your use until the age of seventeen. The other vault was much bigger, and you were not supposed to get access before you were of age. One of the papers gave us as your adoptive parents' full access, but as that is neither needed nor wanted I gave them back that paper unsigned. We will take a trip later to see if there are any personal things belonging to your parents that you wish to keep here in your room or in your other vault. Other than that we will provide you with everything you need, so you will not need to pay for anything yourself from now on. I will discuss with Severus whether he wishes to limit your access to your own vault"

At this Severus shook his head and said "as long as Harry does not use all his money on frivolous things I believe that he may keep his free access to his own vault. I suggest that we set up an arrangement with pocket money, which he can earn by doing small chores. This will give him enough to buy sweets, pranking supplies and other things a young man of eleven finds essential."

Looking directly at Harry he said "as Gem told you, we will provide you with everything you need. Don`t feel that you should use your own money except in the most dire of circumstances. I am not a very wealthy man, but I can afford supporting you all through school. I will not condone you using from your own money for clothes, books or anything else you need. I`m sure you`re not used to being given anything, but I hope you will grow to accept that we are willing to provide for you".

Gem laid her hand on his arm and said "you may be wrong in that you are not a wealthy man my dear. It seems that your mother`s family did not write you out of their wills entirely, but I don"t know if you wish to discuss this now or later when we are alone"?

Severus just waved for her to go on saying "I grew up in a family where there were too many things kept silent about, so I want us to be as honest as possible with each other. Please continue what you were saying, I thought my mother`s family had washed their hands entirely of her, I never thought that they would let me inherit anything, as I am a half blood".

Gem smiled grimly at him "your grandparents were obviously sneaky Slytherins, they made a will saying that you would only inherit if you married a pureblood. As I am a pureblood, you will receive your inheritance forthwith. The Goblins will have to translate the papers for you to read later, I just glanced at them enough to understand they were entirely about the Prince estate, so I didn`t read any more after that.

In the interest of being honest I probably should tell you more about me and my inheritance. As Severus knows that I came here from abroad, and I am an heir of a prominent pureblood family. What he does not know is that my mother had the blood of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw in her veins. While my father was actually had some of Slytherin`s blood in him. This means that I am the last heir to all of Hogwarts founders and thereby I may be able to control Hogwarts if I wish to try. Nobody but you and my family back home knows about this, and I might not need to let anybody know either. This depends on how Dumbledore reacts to the fact that we have removed you from your guardians and adopted you. I hope he will be willing to let it go, but knowing what an interfering old man he is I doubt it; ultimately I believe Hogwarts will obey me and not him if it comes to grips".

Harry looked a little shell-shocked by this time so Gem showed him his room and let him have a little time to himself, after asking him to let her know if he was hungry. When she came back to the living room Severus was sitting there looking contemplative. She sat on his lap, kissing him lightly before resting her forehead on his. "A long and eventful day dearest, if you feel like retreating to brew and think alone it is ok for me" she said. He lifted her off him, gave her a kiss and told her he felt he needed to be alone and would retreat to his study for a while.

Sitting alone in the study Gem called for Trinket to bring a light supper for them, and put warming charms on two portions for Severus and Harry before eating alone. It was a blessing to be able to think now that she was by herself, she couldn`t believe how the day had progressed. Severus had been almost unrecognizable, opening up to Harry in a way she would never have believed possible. And Harry`s choice to let them adopt him just like that was equally surprising to her, but she admitted to herself that Severus had guessed it from the start.


	13. Chapter 13

House rules

Gem found that she was surprisingly tired, so she knocked lightly at Harry`s door and informed him that supper was waiting for him if he wanted it and also told him she was retiring for the night. She then went to hers and Severus` room and lay there reading for a little while before going to sleep. Sometime later she was woken by her husband crawling into bed claiming her body with slow touches and heated kisses. She responded eagerly to his advances and when they finished they fell asleep entangled with each other, Severus was still sleeping when she woke again and she studied him while he slept for a while, his appearance seemed not to have changed much but his hair seemed glossier and less greasy. After a while of just lying there looking at him, she got up and went out into the kitchen.

A small charm she cast let her know that Harry had just woken, so she made breakfast before knocking at his door to inform him there was breakfast if he wanted it. He soon joined her at the table looking a bit surprised that he hadn`t needed to make breakfast himself. He hadn`t changed much either but his hair had taken on a darker tint, more black than brown and seemed a bit more prone to lying down than before. The most positive thing was that Harry no longer needed glasses, as he now had "inherited" perfect vision, Harry seemed pretty ecstatic at that. Gem hoped for his sake that Severus` tendency toward greasiness hadn`t been transferred too.

Gem smiled at Harry saying "we will have to discuss rules and chores later when Severus is awake. But I doubt that you will be asked to do much more than keep your room clean and maybe help with other chores."

Severus` deep voice came from the sideline saying "and you need to be careful with going into the labs as some potions are a bit reactive. Some of them could seriously hurt you if you came into contact with them. Other than that we will probably nag a bit about grades. I for one will expect to see you work hard and to try to get the best grades possible. Your previous guardians didn`t seem like people who placed any significance on such things, but as we are both teachers we will be more strict on that issue".

Gem continued on "my elf Trinket will be told not to pick up after you, but if you`re hungry she or one of the Hogwarts elves will help you. There will be some chores for you to do but we can discuss those later. You will not need to work in the lab with us unless you want to help, but as we`re both potion masters some of our time will be spent brewing. You may read or explore if you don`t want to get an early introduction to potions".

Harry seemed to think this over as he ate, while Gem and Severus spent the rest of breakfast discussing the setup of their classes. After they finished eating Severus said that he for one needed to get some special ingredients, so he would have to leave for a while.

Gem and Harry made their farewells to him, and Gem sat back to study Harry for a while. Finally she said "I imagine from the state of your clothes that you are in dire need of new things. Do you wish to go shopping later, or exploring or maybe you would like to help me write a letter to one of your father`s friends"?

Harry bit his lip unsure and finally said in a low voice that he would prefer not going shopping, for now he would like to explore a bit. Gem stood up and stroked his hair lightly, "I want to introduce you properly to Trinket. So that if you can`t find your way back you may call for her to help". She then called softly "Trinket, come here please", and the elf popped up squeaking happily "Trinket is here, how can I help Master and Mistress".

Gem greeted her elf pleasantly before saying "this is Harry, Trinket; I`m sure you know that we adopted him yesterday. He will explore a bit, but I would appreciate it if you were ready to assist if he gets lost". The elf nodded happily saying that she would of course help Master Harry with anything he wanted, and after Gem told her she could go the elf then popped off again. "What is that creature" Harry said looking at the place where Trinket had stood, "she is a house elf. A race of beings with surprisingly powerful magic, they were enslaved by wizards a long time ago. Their principal happiness lies in serving us, so it doesn`t help freeing them. I at least insist on treating them well, but many wizards see them as lower creatures and so treat them rather badly. Trinket is my personal elf, but as you now are family she will obey your commands too. She is extremely loyal, and will go to any length to protect her wizard or witch". Harry looked quite pensive after that explanation, so she got his reluctant permission to see through his clothes and sent him off to explore.

After he had gone she felt an urge to check if her own appearance had changed too, so she went to the nearest mirror. But she seemed not to have been affected too much; the eyes had changed a bit so that now she had two rings around her pupils, one was emerald green, and one was black. Other than that she seemed to have remained the same.

She shrugged and went into Harry`s room and went through his clothes, the result was meager. All his non school clothes were much too big and extremely washed out. As she worked she wrote out a list over all that she would need to buy for him. Since the list became very extensive she went and found Harry to inform him that she would pop over to Diagon alley to make some arrangements for new clothing. This made Harry blush deeply, and stammer that he didn`t need all that much really. Gem couldn`t resist giving him a quick stroke on the cheek before saying "nonsense Harry. I would be a bad parent to you if I didn`t provide you with all you need".

She then made sure Trinket knew she was going to be away before flooing back to Diagon alley. She went directly to madam Malkins establishment as she knew that here they had his size on file. And here she made a big order for all necessities for Harry, detailing that as much as possible should be finished in as short time as possible and that charms should be added so that the clothing could follow his growth. She chose a few items to take with her immediately and then made a small swing by the toy shop to buy just a couple of small items so that Harry would have something to amuse himself with.

Within an hour she had flooed back to Hogwarts pleased with her purchases. At a later date, Harry would probably want to pick his own clothes, but he would probably not be ready for this for a time yet. In the meantime she asked Trinket to acquire catalogues from some muggle shops, so that she could order such clothing in addition to the clothes already ordered from Madam Malkins.


	14. Chapter 14

The Prisoner

That day Severus hadn`t really needed new ingredients but he didn`t want the others to know his real target in case he failed. Having two missions in mind, firstly he went to the owlery to send a missive to Lucius requesting a meeting regarding something that could be to Lucius` advantage. There he detailed that he would be at Gringotts bank for some time if Lucius found time to meet him later. He then went down to the gates and apparated to Diagon alley, right in front of Gringotts. He went in and went straight to the first available Goblin, asking him to arrange a meeting with the Goblin that was responsible for the Prince Estate business. The Goblin looked a bit skeptically at him, obviously wondering why a man such as Severus would have something to do with what had been one of the oldest pureblood houses. At that instant Omagh had obviously chosen to take a stroll through the bank, and he went up to greet Severus pleasantly asking what he needed today. Severus bowed to Omagh and repeated his request, Omagh signaled for him to follow into the bank. Not until they were safe within Omagh`s office did he speak again. "If you have come for the papers regarding the inheritance they are not fully translated yet, your relatives were crafty and the will is full of loopholes. We want to make sure we have all details nailed before sending the papers on to you".

Severus inclined his head and explained that he hadn`t expected the papers to be finished, but he had hoped to know a bit more of what might be entailed in the inheritance. Omagh folded his hands and gave a long lecture containing a lot of hedging words, but Severus ended up with an impression that unless something drastic happened he was now sole heir to a big estate and quite a lot of money. He was somewhat tempted to let the estate go to rot, but as his grandparents already were dead they wouldn`t know the difference. Severus mused to himself that at least the money would give power, something he had always lacked. Not that he craved power as much as he had when he was younger, but he was a bit tired of always having to rely on Lucius when he wanted something done which required money and power.

Thanking Omagh profusely for his time and asking him to send a bill for the time expended to him at Hogwarts, he exited the office and went back through the bank. Here one of the tellers stopped him, telling him that Lucius had asked for him and now was within his vault but had requested that Severus would wait for him here. Severus inclined his head politely to the Goblin, and used the time to go through his approach one more time. It was important to play Lucius the right way from the start or his goal would not be met, though it went against every instinct to help Black in any way.

After a quarter of an hour Lucius turned up with Draco at his heels, they greeted Severus pleasantly and Lucius said "Draco decided that he absolutely had to have something from Diagon alley while I was here anyway. He can potter about alone while we adjourn to the Café du Lac near the end of the alley". Draco was smiling brightly by the time his father finished saying "thank you father, I will meet you there in an hour". Lucius waved him away and Draco scampered off as fast as he dared, the two men strolled together out of Gringotts and up the alley in silence. As they entered the café Lucius asked for a private booth, and when seated they both cast secrecy charms around them.

"So Severus, what is it that is so important that you called me here from vacation"? Lucius asked. Severus leaned back in his chair "My wife through her connections heard something potentially damaging to the ministry and by extension the minister and all those backing him. As I know you are one of his main patrons I knew you would want to know, in order to not get caught up in the fray". At this Lucius immediately looked more interested so Severus continued "there was a period at the end of the last war when the ministry became a bit over enthusiastic when it came to imprisoning people. So some prisoners were never given trials, sadly for the ministry this happened to a scion of one of the most wealthy and powerful pureblood family. At the time his family had written him off as a blood traitor, but now the matter will be reopened. A grouping of influential witches have been going through old trials and they obviously didn`t find one for this prisoner. So now there will be a petition to the ministry to finally give this prisoner a trial.

As I say this can be potentially damaging for the ministry, but if they by themselves arranged a trial the matter would be entirely different". Lucius smiled slowly to Severus "yes I see what you mean, if I arrange for the ministry to spontaneously give this prisoner a trial. The ministers position and thereby mine will only strengthen. Now who is the prisoner"?

Severus grimaced "that utter cad Sirius Black, personally I hope he rots in Azkaban for the rest of his life. But as your wife and sister in law are cousins of Black`s I thought you would be more interested". At this Lucius stood up "thanks Severus for coming to me with this information. I will contact the minister immediately to give him a heads up. I would be surprised if he didn`t arrange a trial within a couple of days. I know he is positively allergic to bad press, and this might be very bad press". With this Lucius turned and strode out of the café leaving Severus to himself. Severus permitted himself a small smile of triumph before getting up and walking out of the café, he was almost impressed with himself at his skill in playing on Lucius` weakness for power. If he wasn`t wrong, that idiot Black would be a free man within days. Hopefully he could be excused for actually being in the same room as the man, he sincerely hoped so as Harry didn`t need to see them snarling at each other.

Scowling at the thought of actually helping to free one of the men he hated the most; he chided himself for going absolutely soft.


	15. Chapter 15

Tom Riddle and Horcruxes

When he came home to Hogwarts he was greeted by the sight of his wife sitting in the living room working on something. He strode up to her, and told her he might have found a solution to the problem of freeing Black. Gem looked astounded but exclaimed "Severus that`s fantastic, you`re a good man don`t let anybody say you`re not" She then kissed him fervently, in appreciation of his effort. While they were kissing Harry came in, but turned to go again when he saw them. Gem broke the kiss calling after him "Harry don`t go Severus just brought some good news that concern you too".

Harry came back in blushing intensely. Gem laughed at him saying "Severus has put a plan in motion that might end up in your godfather being freed soon. This is great news; I had not been able to find a way to get this done. It`s good that we have a sneaky Slytherin on our side. Severus just looked at them with a small smirk and commented "sneaky maybe but the ability to plan ahead is a good trait that some lack" at this he looked pointedly at Gem but she just stuck her tongue out at him and laughed again. "I do have a small ability to plan, thank you Mr. Smart guy.

I have written a letter to Remus Lupin who was another friend of your fathers Harry. I fully expect him to contact us soon, of these old friends he was the most level headed, and if we can get him on our side this could help hold Black in line. Black for one is not happy that Severus has become your adoptive father. He will probably not accept this easily, and will probably try to alienate you from Severus by talking badly about Severus as he knew him from before. Try to keep in mind that Severus has changed from how he was as a teen, while Black might have become slightly unstable from sitting in prison so long.

I don`t think we will let him see you alone until he can prove that he has managed to stay sane despite his ordeal"

Harry seemed to think this over seriously, and Gem commented that she should take a trip to Azkaban to prepare Black slightly so that he didn`t muck things up immediately.

Severus didn`t much like the idea of her going to Azkaban alone, but conceded that he at least could not because Black would probably go ballistic at the sight of him. Harry sat there for some minutes just looking at his hands, but finally he found his courage and asked "why are you doing all this. Is it just for my sake or do you have other goals too"? Gem looked hard at him and told him seriously "you seem to have a bit of Slytherin in you too Harry. Always trying to see what advantage people are after. The answer to your question is actually a bit of both. An explanation will mean another long story, this one quite scary for us all and it is bad news I`m afraid. Are you sure you want to hear this now"? Harry looked from adult to adult and finally said that he wanted to know, even if it was bad.

"Well if you insist, but we should make ourselves more comfortable first" Gem told him and she summoned Trinket ordering some snacks and tea. After they had made themselves comfortable Gem started speaking again "I`ll start with an orphaned boy called Tom Marvolo Riddle who always thought he was special, better than others. One day he was visited by a weirdly clad man called Albus Dumbledore. This man confirmed that he Tom was indeed special, saying that he was a wizard and would go to a special school. Tom was a friendless child; he neither wanted nor needed anyone. But he had discovered a knack for influencing people if he wanted, and when he came to Hogwarts he used this ability to play the teachers and other students expertly.

In time Tom became obsessed with finding his parents, wanting confirmation that they were special people too. His father turned out to be a muggle also called Tom Riddle, this Tom had abandoned his pregnant wife and gone back home without bothering to find out whether she and the baby lived or died.

Tom Jr. was by the time he found this out sixteen and already well versed in the dark arts, having succeeded in getting the more gullible teachers to give him information and access others had no chance at getting. In addition Tom was by now also obsessed with death, and devised a plan to keep himself alive at all cost. That cost turned out to be other peoples' lives. After a long search he managed to find his father and grandparents, he then murdered them and used this act to create something called a Horcrux. This is a very dark object, which can only be made after killing another human being. The idea behind making these was that as long as he had hidden parts of his soul in such a way, he would be immortal. Later he made several such Horcruxes, and the last one should have been made when he went out to murder your parents and ultimately you Harry. Your mother`s sacrifice destroyed the Dark Lords body as his killing curse backfired on him, but sadly he could not die at this point so he still lingers neither alive nor dead.

My goal is first to try to give you a family and a safe place to grow up, but I`m also after ending the life of Tom Riddle or Voldemort as he calls himself.

I know through some detecting work where the Horcruxes are, and I have taken control of the man whose goal it was to help find what Tom needed to live again. I also know where the specter which is the last remnant of Tom is, and I know how to destroy most of the Horcruxes except one. Here is the scariest part, and again it concerns Harry. By the time Tom came to murder you, Tom`s soul was unstable and a fragment of soul jumped onto you. I know just one sure way to get rid of this fragment and I REALLY don`t want to try this unless there is absolutely no other way".

Severus looked at her in that penetrating way of his, "what needs to happen if we follow what you know".

"From what I saw of the possible future Tom needs to be reborn using Harry`s blood. This extends Lily`s protection to him also. In turn this connects them even more to each other, so that Tom can cast Avada Kedavra on Harry again without Harry dying. Only the Horcrux dies, but as I say this is absolutely a last resort. I would never put Harry through such an ordeal unless it stood between this and the end of the world as we know it. Added to that is the fact that Harry can and should refuse to be used in such a way".

Here Gem smiled sadly at Harry "sorry dear, this is quite scary and I wish I could have spared you. For this to be an option you would have to be able to trust implicitly in my assertion that you would not be harmed by this procedure, and we`re a long way off from that kind of trust. Luckily the time when we would have to decide what to do with the fragment inside you is a long way off.

First we have to find and destroy the other Horcruxes, and for that we need help from others amongst them Black."

"You said you knew one sure way to get rid of the fragment, was there an unsure way if you know what I mean" asked Severus. Gem sighed "yes but this is risky and does not guarantee a result. A sort of exorcism can be performed, but from what I have read this should also be a last resort".

Harry looked as if his world had ended when she finished, but Gem admonished him "You wanted to know dear, now all we can do is try. Hopefully we can find and destroy the other Horcruxes soon enough and we have time to try to find another method of getting rid of the fragment that is in you. For now try to not think about it, you`ll have school to think about and new friends to help keep your mind on other things. There is time enough for us to research, and we will worry about the last fragment when we come to it". She tentatively stroked Harry`s hair and laid her head on his, "I know you have no reason to trust in adults but I promise that I will not give up until I have researched all other options. You should know that we do have a vested interest in keeping you alive and well, our bond binds us as much to you as you to us. Losing you might in an extreme case mean that we die together with you, so we absolutely will not give up on you.


	16. Chapter 16

Azkaban prison

Harry seemed to calm a bit after her explanation, but wanted to be alone to thing for a bit. Severus said in his quiet way that he would go fetch a dreamless sleep potion to stave off nightmares after such a scary story. Gem sat there alone worrying over whether she should have kept the information about the soul fragment inside Harry to herself. But it was too late for second thoughts now, Harry was a brave boy, and he would hopefully be ok even if he was a bit scared. To take her thoughts off these self recriminations she busied herself writing another letter, this time to the warden at Azkaban requesting a meeting with Sirius Black.

She then went up to the owlery with the message. The day had been just as full of events as the last, and they all went to bed early feeling exhausted.

The next day Gem woke very early and while she sat working an owl came from Azkaban, in the letter she was granted a meeting with Black if she could come immediately. They had obviously tried to escape having to give this access by sending the letter so early. In the letter they gave her a onetime access floo password active for one hour only. Gem hurriedly wrote down a message to Severus and Harry, detailing that she would be away at Azkaban for a while. Within minutes of receiving the letter she was ready to go, and flooed into Azkaban grimly determined to try reaching through to Black.

The warden met her himself explaining that since Black was one of their most protected prisoners, the interview would have to be supervised and that Dementors would be outside in case Black went mad. Gem told the warden bluntly that supervision would be ok, only if she could perform a muffling charm on him so that he couldn`t hear what she was saying. The warden hedged a bit but finally agreed that she may do so,

Gem was glad she had previously made a Severus teach her his trademark muffliato charm. The warden made Gem wait for half an hour in a small room while Black was fetched form his cell. Gem was shocked to see the state of Black when he appeared; he was a walking skeleton with extremely long matted hair and he looked quite mad. When Black had been seated and most of the guards exited, leaving only one guard with them. Gem cast a quick muffliato and while the guard was distracted handed Black a vial of pepper up she had brought with her. "And how do I know you`re not trying to poison me" said Black.

"You don`t, but I would think that after almost ten years here you would welcome any form of escape". Black looked at her for a minute before downing the vial. "to what do I owe this visit, not that witches don`t normally run down the doors here in order to visit me" he said smirking in a manner reminiscent of Severus.

"I thought you might like to know that there is an effort being made to give you a trial". Black looked at her as if she had suddenly grown two heads. "An effort to give me a trial after so many years. Why?

Gem leaned back saying "this is a long story that I will tell you more of when you are free and have become healthy. For now I`ll just say that for the sake of Harry Potter I will try to free one of the last links he has to his parents. "How do you know Harry" spluttered Black. Gem answered "my husband, Severus Snape and I have adopted him just days ago, for now only you and the Goblins know this and I want you to keep it to yourself Black".

Black looked thunderstruck and growled "sniveling Snape has adopted Harry; he must be trying to turn him to the dark side. I will not stand for this, you hear"! Gem reached and took a hold of his scruffy throat "I warn you not to try to come between us and our son in any way Black ". She let go and leaned back "I warn you that Harry cannot be taken away from us as we performed a blood adoption binding us together at least until he is seventeen. I also want to state that although I am fully prepared to let you see Harry, you will only alienate Harry if you keep trying to denigrate the only people that he can remember to have ever cared enough for him to check on him".

Black looked totally baffled at this comment so she continued "he had been placed with a relative of his mother, but he was not treated well there. Nobody from the wizarding world except us ever bothered to check on him, when we did check on him we saw that he wasn`t treated as he should. We chose to offer him an avenue to escape; which he gladly accepted.

I did not come here to discuss Harry, I want to talk about your possibility of being freed from here. I expect that you might be called in for a trial within days, I`m not sure the Wizengamot are willing to hear you out, please try not to alienate them when you`re on the stand. I recommend that you demand to be given veritaserum, when you are to defend yourself.

Black actually seemed to think this over before saying "what about Snape, will he allow me to see Harry if I get freed" Gem looked pityingly at Black, "Severus has admitted that he never will be a good friend of yours. But he won`t hinder Harry from seeing either you or Lupin if we manage to find him. I have to leave now; the warden would only give me a limited amount of time. Think about what I have said, and do try to behave if you get your trial."

After Black had been escorted out, Gem was escorted to the wardens office, he was very interested in what she had talked about with Black. Gem managed to deflect his questions, and he finally gave up and let her get on her way. Gem soon after took her leave of that wretched place, marveling that Black had managed to stay somewhat sane through so many years there. She had to give him some credit; he had only been concerned with Harry and hadn`t even asked how she knew that he would be freed once he`d had a trial. As she flooed home to Hogwarts Gem was smiling slightly at the thought that some of her goals had been fulfilled in record time.


	17. Chapter 17

A werewolf arrives

When Severus had readied Harry`s room he`d made sure to include charms detecting nightmares plaguing the child. Of course he knew Gem could detect nightmares while she was dreamwalking, but he had wanted them to detect any and all bad dreams. This day he was woken quite early by an alarm indicating that Harry was suffering from a bad nightmare. Severus jumped out of bed, taking only enough time to put on underwear before hurrying in to check on Harry. The boy was writhing in his bed clearly having a bad nightmare, but no sound came from him. He had obviously cast a silencing charm around him without knowing it. Severus thought he knew what had prompted this, he himself would get a beating from his dad if he`d woken him by making sounds in his sleep. He`d soon begun casting similar charms unconsciously, to avoid this. He suspected Harry would have had a similar experience; it would take time and patience for the boy to learn to trust that somebody would come to his aid if he needed it. Carefully Severus sat on the bed and stroked Harry`s hair, trying to gently jolt him out of the nightmare and within a short time the boy stopped moaning. Severus sat stroking Harry`s hair for some minutes after, to make sure the nightmare had stopped before he went to his own room to start the day. Nearly an hour later his wife flooed in from her trip to Azkaban, and they discussed Harry`s nightmares. Gem agreed that having a monitoring charm on the room was a very good idea, and they discussed methods of gaining Harry`s trust.

While they were discussing another owl pecked on the window "probably from Lupin"

Severus said when he saw it "Lucius mostly uses an eagle owl, and this does not look like a ministry owl either." Gem let the bedraggled looking owl in, and took the cheap looking parchment that was tied to its foot before giving it a owl treat she found in one of the cupboards.

"Definitively Lupin, he asks if we"re at home later today, should I answer that me and Harry will meet him at the Three Broomsticks"?

"It is very tempting, but we should meet him all three. I need to see if he is amenable to some ground rules, and I need to get him to accept receiving a supply of wolfsbane. There is no way I will let him visit Harry regularly if he doesn`t".

Gem cast a charm that told her Harry was awake, so she went and knocked slightly at his door. "Come join us in the kitchen when you are dressed Harry, we have some good news for you." Harry popped the door open, he looked a bit tired still but was dressed already so Gem told him "feel free to make yourself comfortable wherever in the apartment. This is your home, and you don`t need to wait for us in order to get out of your room. Just leave a note if you choose to go out exploring, the only parts you aren`t allowed to go to alone are the forbidden forest and Hogsmeade.

Gem led the way to the kitchen where Severus and some breakfast for Harry were waiting.

Looking quite self conscious at eating in front of them Harry sat down at the table, and they told him about both the visit to Black and their plan to invite Lupin later. "I`ll ask Lupin to bring any photos of your mum and especially your dad, Severus only has photos of your mum. I`ve not told him much, just that you weren`t properly taken care of and that you have not been told much about either your parents or our world. If you want him to know more about your upbringing, you can tell him yourself. Gem then added "there is one thing you need to remember Harry; I will not tell Lupin everything now, I will use a cover story. I think that making Lupin believe in my ability to see past and future is a bit too difficult for now, we can tell him and Sirius later if the need arises.

After breakfast Gem sent a letter off to Lupin detailing when he could come and what she wanted him to bring. Then she volunteered to give Harry a guided tour of the castle, making sure to tell him lots of stories on the way. The boy was very interested in the moving portraits, often stopping to ask them who they were and last thing before tea Gem showed Harry the fat Lady, telling both of them that she fully expected that Harry would become a Gryffindor just like his parents. Harry asked suddenly "did you go to school here too"?

"No, I had tutors at home. If I had gone to a school it would probably have been Durmstrang, because that is much closer to my country than Hogwarts is".

"Won`t Severus be mad that I get in another house than his"? Harry then asked.

"You should ask him, but I think not". Gem answered smiling gently at him and daring to stroke his cheek lightly. As they came back to their quarters Severus was pacing restlessly obviously agitated at the thought of seeing Lupin again. Gem encouraged Harry to ask his question again, this had the effect of stopping Severus` pacing. "Of course I would be honored if you had ended up in my house. But as I am your parent having me as head of house would probably be a bit strange. Gryffindor is not my favorite house of course, but as your mother and father were in that house I expect that you probably will too. I will just ask you to try to be less reckless than many Gryffindors tend to be. If you take foolish risks I guarantee that you will be sorry, as I will punish you accordingly. " Harry cringed when he heard this and Severus hastened to add "I assure you, there will be no corporal punishment, only writing essays, staying in house arrest or having to do some types of work. I am however sure that you will be a good addition to whichever house that you are in".

Before Severus could begin pacing again the floo flared, the head of a man appeared and a voice sounded from it. "This is Remus Lupin requesting leave to enter the quarters of Severus Snape".

Severus answered scathingly "If I didn`t want you to enter I wouldn`t have invited you Lupin"

The head vanished and soon after Lupin came out of the floo brushing off soot, "hello" he said looking first at Gem then at Harry. I`m Remus Lupin, I got your letter inviting me to meet with you". To Harry he said "it is a pleasure meeting you again, I used to be at your house a lot when you were younger. You used to call me moo, your dad found that incredibly funny, but I`m sure you don`t remember me".

Lupin then turned to Severus greeting him cautiously commenting "I`m a bit surprised you ended up caring for Harry though Snape. As I remember it you weren`t too fond of James Potter " he continued looking searchingly at Severus.

Severus was standing with his arms crossed glaring a bit at Lupin "I won`t pretend I will ever be able to think about my earlier relations with either of you without bitterness. You might not have participated actively in the bullying, but you never spoke up either. As for James I have tried not telling Harry anything so that he won`t get the wrong ideas about his dad. We invited you for several reasons, amongst them for Harry`s sake. The muggles he lived with has not told him anything about his parents, and as you knew them until the end you can probably tell many stories. I knew Lily for a long time and can tell stories about her childhood, but I don`t know anything about her life from after we stopped being friends".

Lupin looked almost as uncomfortable as Severus "I cannot excuse our behavior, what can I say. We were idiots, and I was so blinded by the fact that the others chose to be friends with me that I never spoke my mind. I should have stopped them, instead I was a coward choosing to keep my mouth shut".

Severus held up his hand "Harry does not need to hear us rehash our differences, let`s go in and have our tea. We have some new for you Lupin regarding Black, and then maybe you can get better acquainted with Harry after tea"?

"You have news about Sirius? He hasn`t died in jail or something? I have been away looking for a job, and I haven`t received any news at all".

"Black is alive, if not very well" Gem answered as they were walking towards kitchen. "He is to get a trial; at least I understand that it might be a possibility".

Lupin looked shocked "a trial now? Didn`t he get a trial the first time after he killed those muggles and Peter"?

"Actually he didn`t, a grouping of influential witches have been checking on the trials after the last war and they found no evidence of a trial. As I`ve heard it the minister may instigate one to escape criticism after this finding. Will you be there if it happens"?

"No I think not, I cannot face him again knowing that he killed James and Lily" Lupin answered.

Gem interjected "Not that it is my place to give advice, but I for one think you should. I understand you were friends a long time, maybe seeing a familiar face will help him"? Lupin didn`t seem to like that much so Gem changed the subject and they started discussing less upsetting matters. Lupin told a couple of stories about James and Lily, and Harry listened spellbound. After tea Lupin followed Harry into his room, and they stayed there until Harry`s bed time. Gem knocked lightly at the door a bit before nine, when she was invited in by Harry she popped her head in saying "sorry you guys, Harry needs sleep so you will have to continue this another time". Both of them looked crestfallen, but after a few protests Harry brushed his teeth and went to bed.

Severus stopped Lupin before he could go home "I have a few ground rules that you will have to follow if you are to visit Harry regularly". Lupin seemed surprised, "you will let me come here to see Harry". Grimacing Severus answered "yes, I might not like you much but Harry needs to get to know his parents. As you are one of the last links to them, he therefore needs you. As I say I have some rules; you will take wolfsbane regularly and we will pay for the ingredients. If it makes you feel better about this you may help me in developing a better version as my "lab wolf". Other than that you must agree to get permission before inviting Harry somewhere, and you will need to ward any place you take Harry to alone. This is because he is at risk outside the blood wards, and I want him as safe as possible. The last stipulation I have is that you try not to tell too many bad stories about me, in return I will try not to talk to Harry about the way your foursome treated me in school. Can you agree to this?

In addition I`d also like for you to tell Harry about your affliction, that way he knows not to approach you at full moon".

Looking flabbergasted Lupin said "Yes of course, but I might not see Harry all that often. I still cannot get a job in the UK; I mostly have to travel a lot. There will therefore probably be no need for you to provide wolfsbane for me". Lupin made ready to leave, and both Gem and Severus saw him off. Gem said "goodbye Lupin, send a message if you find time to see Harry again sometime"

"Call me Remus please, but I cannot promise much. With my difficulties finding work it may take some time before I have the opportunity. When it comes to the thing you asked me in your letter, I promise to not divulge anything to anybody unless you tell me I may do so". With that he took his leave, vanishing in a flare of green light from the floo.


	18. Chapter 18

The announcement.

After Remus had left Gem said to Severus " I think I will have to find a job for him close by. We will need him to take care of Back when he gets out, and we will probably be needing help from the both of them to pull this off. Remus can keep Black grounded and steer him away from doing stupid things. It is a shame I can`t retire Binns and set up Remus in his job, but having a marauder here would probably make you go ballistic".

She grinned at Severus, walked up to him and kissed him passionately twining her finger in his long hair. "Not to worry dear, I would not be so cruel to you as to inflict him upon you without permission. I will have to find something else, but I cannot for the life of me think what. Maybe I can get Black to help me when he gets out, if he does get out that is".

"What did Lupin talk about when he left" asked Severus.

"I asked him not to tell anybody about our adopting Harry, I think it should be kept a little quiet. I`ll explain to Harry that it would be safer if he is disguised and using a different name when we go into public with him".

Putting on the wireless Gem and Severus sat in the living room reading quietly for a while. Suddenly a newscast broke into the program that was on "This is a special bulletin from our reporter at the ministry. In a surprise move the minister has declared that notorious mass murderer Sirius Black will be given a trial. This is due to him not receiving a legally binding trial at the time of his incarceration. Our reporter has been told that the Wizengamot will convene in two days, and that the prisoner will be present to receive his sentence. When given this news Black was said to react only with the demand to be given veritaserum when he gets on the stand. This is the end of the special bulletin from the WWN, we return to our regular program presently.

Gem launched into Severus` arms crowing "you did it, you brilliant man! You actually pulled off getting your most hated school enemy a trial, I`m so proud of you my love". She then proceeded to kiss his face and mouth repeatedly.

"If this is how you react just because he got a trial, I cannot imagine the reaction if he gets freed" grumbled Severus half heartedly. Gem kissed him again and purred, "that was for you not for Black, and if you wanted me to I would kiss more than just your face".

Severus smirked and as she got off his lap he stood up. Taking her arm he then guided her to the bedroom "do illustrate your earlier words wife" he said in his most silky voice.

The next day the weather was totally frightful, the wind howling around the corners of the School. Severus had gone over to Lucius after receiving a summons there. Gem had told Harry the good news about the trial when the boy got up. He was interested at hearing the news, and said that he hoped they would be able to be there for it. They both agreed that while the weather was so bad they couldn`t be bothered with going out. So Gem spent the day giving Harry an introductory course in writing with a quill, he was not very good with it, but after some work he seemed to get the hang of it. At least he now could write so that it was legible most of the time. As a reward for being so cooperative Gem then made hot chocolate and invited him to play a game with her. They sat playing and eating snacks until Severus came home some time before dinner. "Lucius has arranged that we may attend the trial; originally he didn't know there were three of us now. But when I informed him that we had a child visiting he managed to find another place for Mr. Potter". Severus told the other two "I of course neglected to inform Lucius that it was Mr. Potter we had on a visit. That information is to be well guarded, as Gem suggested to me you should wear a glamour and have a different name for when we are is out and about as an extra safety precaution. In fact I have already told Lucius that your name is Jared, I hope you don`t mind Harry".

"Jared isn`t so bad, where did that come from"? asked Harry

"It was the best that I could come up with on such short notice. If you want another name we can easily create a middle name for you, explaining to people that you prefer that".

"Hamish would be a good name" joked Gem lightly smiling at Harry"s horrified expression " Well it had better stay Jared then. With Snape as the last name maybe? Or should we invent a new last name too maybe? In fact I think the middle name could be Lawrence, and we could use Larry as a short nickname. That would be close enough to Harry`s real name that he might remember to answer when called by that name".

Severus then said "Jared Lawrence "Larry" Snape could do nicely, what do you say Harry. Could you remember to answer to Larry when you`re out in the wizarding world.

Harry seemed to think this over "I`m not sure I understand why I can`t be myself but I think Gem is right. Larry is more close to Harry and I should be able to answer to it".

Gem took it upon herself to explain that as Harry Potter he would garner a lot of attention. Larry Snape would not receive such attention, and in addition it would not be safe for either of them to have their relationship known by too many as of yet. When the school started Harry would be living in the dormitories together with the other pupils. And they could hide the fact that he had been adopted by them from all but a few chosen people.

"It is not that we`re embarrassed to be your adopted parents, but most people will not understand why you chose this. If the ministry for instance learns of this they may try to reverse the adoption. I don`t think they can do so, but at least they can create trouble for us. I also think it is safer for us all if the adoption is not generally known. Jared Snape can be Severus` long lost cousin visiting from time to another giving you the opportunity to go out into our world without being recognized.

The last reason for this deception is that, little as I like the idea it may be necessary for Severus to be close to known Death Eaters again in order for us to get close enough to Voldemort to destroy him. If it is known that Severus has adopted Harry Potter he will be at risk from all his former friends, and he will no longer have any influence there".

Hearing this Harry agreed to keep the adoption a secret. Together they made a glamour that made him look even more like a Snape and practiced with it until Gem was confident she could keep it up for any extent of time. Then they had a light dinner before starting another game together.

Harry seemed not to get enough of playing with them, and both of them were glad to indulge him a bit. Severus insisted on a couple of more educational games too, and because Harry knew nothing about the subjects Gem joined his side of the game. Together Harry and Gem strived to beat Severus, but he was too good. Finally they had to admit defeat "Harry dear, I think we both have to read a lot before we can aspire to go against Severus in a fair fight. We had better study a bit before next time" Gem told Harry. After watching the two grownups have a rousing game of chess, Harry went to his room, and when Gem looked in at him later she found him lying asleep with one of his school books on his chest.

"You sneaky, brilliant man" she said to Severus when she got out to the living room again. I think you have found a winning recipe, Harry was so determined to learn enough to beat you at your game one day that he actually read until he fell asleep".

Severus smiled in a distant sort of way and told her "It was my mothers` secret game with me when my dad was away or drunk enough to collapse on the bed. We would sit together playing some evenings to forget that we were hungry, and I developed a voracious appetite for knowledge through playing that game. I think my mother would be glad to know the tradition is being kept up". Gem walked up to him and put her head on his shoulder, twining her arms around him. She stood there holding him without speaking, choosing just to give comfort by being there for him. After a while Severus said "Lucius told me the ministry needed veriatserum from my stocks as they had none so I need to make sure it is ready, and that a new batch of the wolfsbane is started. Will you stay here to make sure Harry is all right?

"Why are you making wolfsbane again? Remus is nowhere near Harry and until I can think of a way to wrangle him a job, he won`t be neither".

"I have something up my sleeve, you can thank me later" said Severus swooping out of the rooms.

"Oh I definitely will" Gem said out loud into the empty room.


	19. Chapter 19

A Trial to remember

As the next day dawned Gem was up very early, as she had to make sure all their dress robes were readied. Of course Trinket or the other elves could have done so, but Gem didn`t believe in getting dependent on everything being done for her by servants. In addition she also made breakfast and a light luncheon to take with them.

In the middle of her ministrations Severus appeared holding a couple of potion bottles "pepper up and some strengthening potions for Black" he said seeing her looking at his burden. "I will wake Harry up, he needs some breakfast into him and an anti nausea potion before we floo into the ministry"

After Harry had managed to wake enough to clamber sleepily up into a kitchen chair, they ate breakfast. Suddenly a beautiful black owl pecked on the window and Gem leapt up to allow it entrance "Antonius what are you doing here, you must be exhausted if you have flown all the way from home". The owl hooted and hopped onto her wrist, sticking his leg out for her to take the small package it carried. After she took this she called Trinket and asked her to carry the owl up to the owlery, as it was probably too tired to fly anywhere for a while. After opening the package she exclaimed "Grandmother sent my pendant, how thoughtful. Harry come here so that I can fasten it around your neck.

"Why do you want me to wear a pendant"? Harry asked.

"For two reasons, firstly it will add to your protection as it carries a protection on it that will help keep you safe. Secondly it is designed so that glamours are kept up until they are actively cancelled by the person who put them up. This means that I won`t need to actively keep up your glamour, and can conserve my magic for other things".

Hearing this Harry acquiesced to wear the pendant, and Gem fastened it around his throat before disillusioning it. "Now nobody will see it without them knowing already about it. Stand still for a minute so I can apply your glamour, and then we will have to floo to the ministry.

Obediently Harry stood still long enough for his Snape glamour to be reapplied, and then drank his anti nausea potion without a complaint.

A short time after they were ready to leave, Harry allowed Severus to guide him into the floo. "Ministry of magic" Severus shouted, taking Harry with him, Gem followed right after also shouting the same. Spinning to a halt in the ministry foyer, she saw Severus and Harry waiting for her right by the floo. Harry looked distinctly green and was leaning on Severus` floo traveling seems not to agree much with Larry here" Severus said using Harrys` new public name. "Larry" just groaned weakly and said "I thought that anti nausea potion was supposed to keep this from happening".

"You must be extra sensitive to magical ways of traveling; it will probably pass in a while" Severus told him while Gem stroked his back in a soothing manner. While they stood there Lucius came towards them trailing Draco "There you are Severus, what a crowd that has assembled, most people here are out to get some free entertainment I think". He stopped up when he saw "Larry" and raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"This is Jared Lawrence or Larry as he prefers to be called. He is my cousin far removed; he will be staying with us from time to time, sadly he gets easily sick when flooing".

Lucius inclined his head in a regal manner saying "Draco insisted on getting sick every time we flooed for quite some time. I finally managed to wean him away from that; I don`t want a sissy son do I". Draco who had been smirking superiorly at `Larry` until now seemed to wilt under his fathers` gaze bowing his head until he was looking at the floor instead.

"Larry will grow out of this I`m sure and until then we can find other alternatives, besides there is always the potion against nausea".

"Oh I never gave Draco any such nonsense; he had to suffer the consequences of his weakness until he learned to strengthen himself properly. Come now Draco, we have to find our places or some dirty lowlife will probably have contaminated it. I must talk to the minister about keeping such filth out of official proceedings" Lucius said walking towards the courtroom that had been assigned.

Larry looked after Draco with pity in his gaze "I didn`t much like the arrogant git when I last met him, but now I feel sorry for him. Does his father always belittle him like that"?

Severus answered "Yes, Lucius has not realized the danger of always putting people down. He does not know his son properly, only takes him with when he feels Draco needs to learn something. Misunderstand me right Larry, Draco receives every luxury there is except love. Draco emulates his father in a vain hope of receiving his love at last, but Lucius is not capable of love". Larry looked sadly after the pair and followed when Severus started after them. Gem walked beside him still keeping a hand on his neck, stroking it delicately. She expected Larry to shrug her off, but he was obviously starved for any attention, and didn`t seem to mind anybody seeing him like this.

As they found their seats beside the Malfoys, the court bailiff called out "The court will come to order, find your seats and remain there". Within a relatively short time all the seats had been filled, and people milling around were ushered away. "All rise for the entrance of the Wizengamot, today lead by Ms. Millicent Bagnold". The audience rose, every head turning toward the entrance where the accused was expected to enter and an excited muttering rose up. "Silence" called Ms. Bagnold, "I call the accused Sirius Orion Black to the stand".

A creaking double door opened in the end of the courtroom, and a warden came out leading the gaunt spectacle of Black wearing heavy shackles around both legs and arms. Both Severus and Larry recoiled at the sight of him, Larry seemed about to comment on the state of the man but Gem squeezed his neck warningly.

"Sirius Orion Black, you stand before this court accused of the betrayal of James and Lily potter to You Know Who, the willful murder of thirteen muggles and Peter Pettigrew. The bailiff will now administer veritaserum in the view of this court, and you will have your chance to defend yourself ".

Black stood as proudly as he managed with his burden of shackles an opened his mouth to let the bailiff place three drops of veritaserum on his tongue. As he swallowed his gaze became unfocussed and his shoulders slumped; only the bailiffs' quick reaction hindered him in ending on his face. Black was lowered into a chair that was quickly conjured as Ms. Bagnold repeated her earlier accusation ending "how do you plead".

"It wasn't me, none of it. It was all Peter Pettigrew that traitor" Black said in a unfocussed way. The court was buzzing loudly after that declaration but Black continued in a mechanical way. "I had convinced Lily and James that I was too obvious as a secret keeper, and I told them to change to Peter. That Halloween I had been unable to find Peter, and I became concerned so I went to Godrick`s Hollow in order to check on the Potters. All I found was a ruined house and Hagrid taking Harry out of the ruins. I went mad with grief and guilt, without thinking I found Peter and cornered him. He must have expected this, and he yelled at the top of his voice that I had killed James and Lily before he blew up the street escaping in his animagus form".


	20. Chapter 20

Aftermath

At this the court exploded in noise, and it took some time before the audience could be calmed. After the bailiff had managed to shut most people up Ms. Bagnold stated "Mr. Pettigrew is alive you say, and has an animagus form. What is this animagus form Mr. Black"?

"His form is a small grey rat; it will be lacking a toe as he sliced off one of his own fingers as he escaped" answered Black.

Again the court was buzzing, but Ms. Bagnold took up a small club pounding it repeatedly to stop the mutterings. Order in the court, anybody making any more noise will be escorted out".

Turning to the Wizengamot she said "we will have a vote here and now, after this explanation who among you wish to free Mr. Black and declare him innocent of all charges". Almost all hands went up immediately, last of all a small dumpy witch with a ridiculous pink cardigan raised her hand seemingly against her will. "It is decided then, Sirius Black you are hereby cleared of all charges. Bailiff escort Mr. Black to a room and have a healer come from St. Mungo`s to give him some strengthening tonics".

Severus signaled to Ms. Bagnold that he wished to speak and she waved for him to do so "I am potions master Severus Snape from Hogwarts and I took the liberty of bringing some pepper up and other strengthening potions in case they were needed by the court. If I may be excused I can administer these to my old classmate, in order to help him recover as quickly as possible".

"Are you a trained healer Mr. Snape" asked Ms. Bagnold.

"No he isn`t but we are both potions masters" answered Gem "we`re therefore both capable of administering basic healing potions". Ms. Bagnold nodded and gave them permission to leave, and they strode after Black and the bailiff.

The bailiff swung into a small room and ushered Black to a small sofa he conjured before leaving them. Gem walked up to Black saying "well Mr. Black we meet again. I`m glad you followed my directions from when I saw you last". She then gave him the pepper up and strengthening potion.

"Black should leave as fast as possible it will be pandemonium out soon" Severus said.

"I have nowhere to go" said Black.

Gem said "I will let you use my rooms at Hogwarts for a while. There my elf Trinket can care for you until you feel good enough to go back to the Black residence or buy a house for yourself ".

"I can never go back home, they disowned me when I was sixteen. I don`t have any money to buy myself anything either. I used what little inheritance I got to buy my motorbike, other than that I own nothing" Black told her.

"You obviously don"t know that your mother died while you were imprisoned, as she had no one else to leave anything to you inherited everything anyway. You are a rich man, and if you choose to demand reparation from the ministry you would become even more so" Severus told him.

Black didn`t seem to take this in just said "you didn`t bring Harry, I so wanted to see him".

"Harry is here, he is just camouflaged a bit" Gem told Black, putting an arm round Harry`s shoulders. If you both want he can visit you when you have rested a bit. Now we really need to get away before a horde of reporters descend on us. Think you can manage a last floo travel for today Harry dear". At this Harry nodded grimly, and they hurriedly made their way to the nearest floo, where Severus gave both Black and Harry the anti nausea potion. Severus told the others that he would stay both to inform the authorities where Black had gone, and to observe the aftermath of the trial.

Gem and Harry supported Black between them and Gem cast the floo powder into the flames calling "Gem Schultz` quarters Hogwarts". As they exited from the floo Gem cancelled the charm on Harry so that he looked like himself. They then supported Black towards a chair, but soon he fell to the floor unconscious. Gem caught him with a levitation charm and propelled him to her old bed calling loudly for Trinket to come. Gem left the poor wizard with the elf, after giving her the order to stay there to watch over him until he woke. "Fetch me the minute he wakes, so I can check his health properly. He may only need some food into him and lots of rest, but I had better make sure anyway". "Yes missus" answered the elf obediently.

As she entered the living room she found Harry standing by one of the windows "this looks entirely different from the other apartment" he said wonderingly.

"Severus has had many years to adjust his apartment to his taste; the only thing I did here was sleep and eat so it does not reflect me as much as the other apartment reflects Severus".

Gem gave Harry a quick hug, and led him into the hall. "Now we will make ourselves some dinner, and then we can play some games. I think Severus will probably be late, so there is no use in waiting for him".

It took quite some while before Severus came home that day, Harry was already in bed and Gem was preparing lesson plans for both potions and defense against the dark arts as Severus had enough on his plate.

"Are you tired" she asked him as he came through the floo brushing himself off.

"Yes, a bit tired. Things were messy back at the ministry; a gaggle of media people rushed in from everywhere within minutes of you three leaving. Luckily Ms. Bagnold thought we did the right thing by spiriting off Black. Lucius and I managed to sneak off after a while, but Lucius was in a mood for ranting after that trial so I had to stay and hear him out. Have you left Black in your old rooms"?

"Yes, Trinket is looking after him. Harry and I barely got him there, the man collapsed totally. I`ll see to him when he wakes up as I want to make sure his health is OK. Harry will probably want to visit the man soon, hoping to hear more about his parents. Speaking of that, you have not spoken to him about Lily yet. You remember that you promised to do so, and it`s important as Harry needs to learn that you do what you promise".

"I know, and I have been steeling myself for it but it is so hard for me to share. I have been alone for so long, it will take some time before I`m entirely comfortable with this new situation".

"I do understand, we have come here suddenly and have been disarranging your life since. At least explain to Harry a bit of what you feel, he will know then that you aren`t just putting him off ".

"I will try" he promised.


	21. Chapter 21

An interlude in the sun

The next day Severus awoke at daybreak, the day looked like it would become sunny and fine. He had long thought that he should have a trip into the forest to gather potion ingredients; this looked like a perfect day for that. Maybe he should invite Harry, and try to talk to him in the hope that it would be easier if he was collecting ingredients while talking. After dressing in his attire for going into the forest, he called softly for an elf asking it to prepare something light that he or they could carry with them. Then he braced himself and went into Harry`s room to wake him.

The boy mumbled sleepily for a bit before waking "what time is it Severus"?

"Very early, I was wondering if you would like to accompany me into the forbidden forest on a potion ingredient hunting trip".

"Oh, okay. Gimme a moment Harry said sleepily, dragging himself to the bathroom.

A bit later while Harry was waiting for Severus to finish his coffee, Trinket popped into the kitchen "Master must wake mistress quick please, the sick wizard in mistresses room is seeming ill" she said before popping just as fast away again.

"Wake Gem up please Harry, while I make sure we have everything we need" Severus asked.

Gem woke from being shaken by the shoulder and saw a pair of anxious green eyes looking at her "What is it Harry" she asked dragging her hair away from her torso, forgetting for a moment that this would let Harry see the state of her back as she was sleeping on her stomack.

Harry`s eyes seemed riveted to her scarred back for a moment before he gathered himself and told her what had happened. "Ok I`ll go check on him presently" she said as she wrapped the duvet around her, hopped out of the bed and strode towards the wardrobe.

"What happened to your back" asked Harry.

"My father" Gem said simply, and gathering up her clothes she vanished towards the bathroom.

Minutes later Severus and Harry were walking out into the still cool day laden with implements, bags and some snacks provided by the elves. Standing in front of forest Severus finally found his voice again "your mother loved potions, just as I did and still do. She was almost as good at them as I, but then I had an unfair advantage as my mother began teaching me potions well before I ever met Lily".

"How did you and my mum meet then" Harry asked.

Severus told him the story of his first meeting with Lily and Petunia, and continued telling small anecdotes as they pottered around searching for ingredients. Harry`s curiosity was unending, but he seemed to hesitate to ask questions, so some of the time was spent in comfortable silences.

Severus declared that he was finished collecting near lunchtime, and he suggested cooling off by paddling their feet in the Black lake. Harry seemed tired and hot, and readily agreed to this suggestion. As they walked back Severus sent his patronus to Gem telling her their plans.

"What was that sir" Harry wondered.

"My patronus, it is a powerful defense from some very dark creatures. Now I was using it as a messenger to Gem, so she knows what we are doing.

A ghostly white figure came towards them soon, and it solidified to a long legged creature which said in Gem`s voice "Mr. Black and I are already lounging outside, why not joins us and we can have a picnic.

Severus felt that picnicking with Black was a bit much to ask of him, but Harry`s face glowed so he gritted his teeth and resigned himself to his fate. When he and Harry reached Gem and Black Gem looked up asking "Hey Harry did you have a good day with Severus"?

"Yes, he told me lots of stories about my mum from when they were little. By the way what animal was that patronus, I`ve never seen something like it.

"It was an elk, it`s common where I come from but it does not exist here so it`s not too surprising that you haven`t seen it before".

Severus and Black kept glaring at each other through the rather tense meal, making Harry rather uncomfortable so Gem resolved to get Harry away for a while. "It`s so warm, let`s go swim in the lake for a bit Harry"

"I can`t swim" he said looking down at his hands.

"No problem, I can teach you, or if you`re uncomfortable with that we can ask Severus".

Harry looked at Severus automatically, seemingly more comfortable with that choice. But Black chose that moment to put his big foot in his mouth "Snivellus bathing, the lake would be full of oil from his over greasy hair".

Gem leaned forward menacingly saying "keep a civil tongue in your head Black or I may be tempted to remove it for you". Black glared back at her as Severus got up motioning to Harry to follow. Severus transfigured his clothes to a bathing costume and turned to walk away from the two combatants, Harry following.

It didn`t take long before Harry was frolicking in the water, Gem soon joined the two and started a small water throwing war. All of them were soon spraying each other and laughing, suddenly a big black dog appeared and tackled Harry. It tried licking his face, and when he showed it off it shook itself all over him. "Where did the dog come from" Harry asked laughing; but the dog itself answered his question by suddenly transforming into Black.

"Sorry" he said grinning widely "I just couldn`t resist".

"You shouldn`t do that" Gem admonished "for all you know Harry could be afraid of dogs.

"Just a bit of harmless fun" said Black "I didn`t want you three to have all the fun by yourselves, not that I`d ever have thought that Snape was capable of having fun".

"What you think of as fun Black does not always seem so to others, you might give a thought to that. Or is the concept to difficult for your tiny brain to understand" Severus all but snarled.

"Guys, calm down. You cannot keep snapping and snarling at each other, I know Severus is a grownup who should be able to control himself. I hope that you too Black may try to keep your foot from your mouth too, can`t you see how uncomfortable you`re making Harry".

Harry did seem uncomfortable so the two men managed to mumble "sorry", Black again transformed to the big black dog which promptly picked up a stick and placed this in front of Harry. He picked up the stick, looked from it to the dog a bit before finally throwing it far away, the dog yipped and pelted after it.

They all spent some time playing, and Black as a dog was a big hit with Harry making him laugh with his antics. By the time dinner came they were all ravenous, luckily the elves had anticipated their needs and provided a big hamper full of cold cuts and sandwiches. As they sat there eating a new patronus joined them saying in Remus Lupins voice "I heard Sirius was freed, do you by any chance know where he is"?

Black jumped to his feet yelling "moony" while Severus with a sigh sent a reply with his own patronus. "In for a penny in for a pound, you had better appreciate what I`m putting myself through for you two" he said sourly to Harry and Gem.

As Lupin appeared Black sprang to him and the two men stood there looking at each other for a minute. "Old friend, can you forgive me for thinking that you were a traitor" said Lupin, smiling grimly Black answered "if you can forgive me in return my friend for thinking the same of you at one point". Gem put up a privacy shield between them and the two men, letting them catch up for a bit. After a while the men joined the others joking together like they had never been apart. "Good to see you again Lupin, but you came here remarkably fast. I thought you said you were going out of the country and wouldn`t be available for a while".

"I suddenly got a message that I had been granted a job interview here in Britain. For once I was the lucky guy, and now I`m to be a caretaker for a big estate. Incredibly the guy owning it had specified that the caretaker should be muggleborn or have a creature heritage, the lawyer interviewing me didn`t even flinch when he heard what I was.

Harry looked enquiringly at Lupin who stopped for a bit before continuing "Harry, your adopted parents asked me to do something I find extremely difficult. I agree with their reasoning, but I`m still afraid you"ll turn against me because of it". He drew a big breath before saying "I`m a werewolf ".

Harry kept on looking at Lupin inquiringly so he continued "have you never heard of werewolves Harry"?

As Harry shook his head negatively Lupin looked helpless for a moment and then explained "once a month on the full moon I transform into a big wolf, this wolf will seek to attack and bite people. This means that I am extremely dangerous at that time, so you must never seek me out when I am in my wolf form".

"But from now on you will take the wolfsbane potion regularly, so that you won`t be dangerous" Severus said in a dangerously silky tone.

"Yes Severus, if it means that I may see Harry I will take wolfsbane, and since I am working now I will pay for it myself" Lupin agreed.

After a while Lupin helped Black back to the castle while the three others cleaned up after the picnic. "If I check up will I find that the estate that has hired Lupin is the Prince estate, Severus" Gem asked as the two men got out of hearing range.

Severus looked stonily at her before nodding slightly "thank you Severus, I know this is difficult for you".

"Yes well, I did it because I wanted Harry to have as much support as possible, and this way I don`t have to see the wolf every day".


	22. Chapter 22

Dumbledore

On the day the headmaster returned to Hogwarts, Severus was promptly called into his office; he chose to ask Gem to accompany him up but asked her to wait in the hallway until he called for her. They both knew that the headmaster would probably not be happy with them for removing Harry from his relatives` house, but they had agreed on a story to tell him and Gem had told Severus that she would show Dumbledore the consequences of a future where they hadn`t done so if he seemed likely to not accept things as they were. The previous days had been exhausting for Black and he was still recuperating, so Harry was left with the house elves in the kitchen, being fed cakes and tea by the overenthusiastic elves.

As Severus came into the office Dumbledore said "Severus, when I arrived I heard disturbing news from the elves about you having fetched Harry Potter out from within his relatives' noses. They surely are mistaken, aren`t they"?

"No Headmaster they are not, my wife and I went to check on the child after her having disturbing dreams about him. My wife had by then managed to persuade me that I owed it to my best friend both to check on her child and make sure that he was safe and well treated. We found that he was very badly treated, and my wife suggested that we should either adopt him or arrange an adoption for him.

Thinking about what Lily would have wanted, I actually found myself agreeing to adopt him myself, as I thought he would be much safer here at Hogwarts living with us than out in the wizarding world living with someone that doesn`t live somewhere that is as well warded as this place".

"You actually have got married to someone within weeks of us seeing each other last and in addition went to Surrey because your wife dreamed about Mr. Potter? This seems a bit farfetched; explain please" the headmaster said sternly.

"If I could invite my wife in here we could explain better together" Severus asked and the Headmaster waved for him to get on with it. Severus fetched Gem and she greeted Dumbledore pleasantly "Headmaster, you look well rested, did you have a nice holiday then"?

The headmaster looked from one to the other, his eyes for once not glittering "Drop the small talk, I fully expect an explanation for how you came to the idea that you should take Mr. Potter away from the safety of his relatives` home".

"And you will have one Headmaster" said Gem calmly "the truth is that I have the ability to observe and interfere with other people`s dreams. From when I was a little girl I was drawn to help those who suffer bad nightmares. Through Severus and his connection to Lily Evans I found her son, and when I saw his nightmares I became very concerned. They seemed to reflect actual abuse, and deprivation. In order to persuade Severus to help me rescue the boy I let him see the same glimpses of Harry`s life as I had and luckily he agreed that we should go see the boy in order to find out whether he was OK or not. What we found was not encouraging, I legilimized the muggles he lived with and found that he had lived in a cupboard until his letter came. They had also starved him and made him work for what little he got. You have got to admit that this is no way for a child to grow up".

Dumbledore got up from the desk and leaned on it "Harry would have survived and become stronger because of his circumstances, I`m sure, you cannot understand the damage you can have done. He was protected with a blood ward that would have kept him from the Death Eaters attention. When Voldemort inevitably resurrects he will search for Harry, he and with anybody protecting him will be at great risk. The boy must be sent back immediately, I just hope it is not too late".

Gem got up too and glared at Dumbledore "It is way too late; the boy is bound to us by a blood adoption. The blood wards you relied so much on were worth nothing with the Dursleys as they hated the boy and he never felt at home there. Here he will feel at home, and he will have the protection of two adults that are ready to die for him, in addition to the protection that Hogwarts itself and the teachers will provide. Just leave it be Headmaster, neither you nor anyone can take Harry away from us ever".

The Headmaster stood up now and positively glared at Gem, "you stupid woman, you may find yourself very sorry you destroyed my well laid plans. This will surely lead to disaster, give the boy up willingly and I will be lenient to you. Severus is needed as a spy, but you are not needed except as a defense teacher. "

Gem now shook with anger "you blind old man, even after suffering your own losses you still cannot understand that people are not pawns for you to manipulate. I think it is time you saw exactly what the cost of your plan would be". She summoned Dumbledores` penieve with a casual wave of her wand saying "one of my other abilities is seeing the future, so here is a little show and tell for you Albus Dumbledore. Here are some of the people who would have died because of your manipulations". She took a small bottle out of her pocket and tipped it into the pensieve. "This is what would have happened if Harry had stayed at his relatives" house and you had continued manipulating his life and everyone else".

Looking as if it was standing with its feet in the pensieve the first figure to appear was a youngish looking man with a turban. Dumbledore breathed "professor Quirell"

"Yes" Gem answered, "he met the spectre of Voldemort and was seduced into helping him, he would have been killed by Harry in fact." Both the other wizards looked shocked but the next figure appeared, this was a squat middle aged woman. "Bertha Jorkins was the second unwitting victim, she meets the wizard who would resurrect Voldemort and unwittingly gives him the means to do so". The next figure that appeared was an older man "Frank Bryce, a muggle working at the place where Voldemorts family lived. He was eaten by a snake after Voldemort killed him".

The third figure was a young boy "Cedric Diggory, a Hufflepuff. He got dragged into Voldemorts sceme to get his human body back, and would have been killed right in front of Harry in his fourth year. Blood from Harry was taken and helped Voldemort come to full force again. Many more people dies in the period after this is some of them" as more figures appeared out of the pensieve Gem named them in turn "Bartemius Crouch senior, Sirius Black, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore". Both the others looked so stunned that Gem paused to explain, just to get the message to seep in further "You found something that Voldemort had left behind to safeguard his return. This item was cursed, but you were too tempted and put it on. The curse would have killed you in a short time but for Severus` prodigious skills, instead you were slowly dying. You manipulate Severus into killing you, again right in front of Harry. This is a ruse to get Severus into Voldemorts` inner circle". Both wizards looked ready to burst but Gem held up her hand saying "afterwards please". The next people appearing were of all shapes and sizes, obviously both students and adults, Gem continued naming them "Charity Burbage professor of muggle studies, Dennis Creevey Gryffindor, Vincent Crabbe Slytherin, Fred Weasley Gryffindor, Remus John Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks, Lavender Brown Gryffindor, Severus Tobias Snape". Gem crossed her arms in front of her saying "this is just a few of the people who would die if I had not interfered with your plans Headmaster".

Both Severus and the Headmaster sat in stunned silence for a while, Severus regained his wits first. "I kill Albus? I would never have dreamed that might happen".

Gem stroked his cheek slightly saying "I know that this sounds incredible but as he was dying anyway he made you see it as a final service to a good friend and it was also a way to protect Draco Malfoy from himself and the Dark Lord. You weren`t as lucky, your doom came as Voldemort got it into his hand that you had become the master of the elder wand with Dumbledores` death. You were killed in the last battle before you could find Harry and give him the information he needed to destroy Voldemort. Luckily Harry had found Voldemort, and even though you had made him hate you he still went to see you. While dying you gifted him your memories. Armed with the knowledge he needed Harry sacrificed himself, and doing so ended up destroying Voldemort for good".

Severus looked at her searchingly "Harry must die"?

"Yes and no" Gem answered "The part of him connected to Voldemort dies, Harry lives because he chooses to. But he has lost most of the people that he ever loved; he will never completely get over this. Knowing all this would come to pass I chose to take a chance that we could hinder all these deaths. I know where and what the items left by Voldemort are, and I am ready to die protecting my son if I must. But I choose to think that Voldemort can be defeated, without using a small boy as a game piece in chess in order to do this.

Dumbledore sat down looking defeated, seeing himself listed as a casualty of war seemed to have shook him "Are you sure that you all can keep safe" he asked; "even Hogwarts is not impenetrable".


	23. Chapter 23

Surprises

"I may have an edge there Headmaster, even over you who have been here for so long". Gem walked up to a blank wall and put her hand on a point seeming just like the rest of the wall to the others. It sprang open showing a golden arm-ring, some old books and parchments. Gem delivered them to the Headmaster. Dumbledore took up the arm-ring but dropped it immediately, looking inquiringly at Gem. "You got a shock from it as you are not a relative of either of the founders. This ring was made by the four of them together, and was meant to be used as a means to select the heir to the school after their time. Only a descendant of one or more of them could inherit, and the ring would be able to choose the potential heir that would benefit the school and the magical world most. I was a bit presumptuous to come here without my brother; it could easily have chosen him instead of me if it had deemed him better for the future of the school than me".

"But you think the school will choose you as heir" stated the headmaster .

"Yes, I`ve been drawn here for a long time, I feel that me finding Severus and Harry in the dream world were signs and that I was supposed to come here to claim my birthright and in the process save them. I`m not going to try claiming the position as heir now though, someone being declared as heir to Hogwarts may have unknown effects that may be felt in the magical community". As she said this, the golden ring rattled on its perch for a moment before shooting right at Gem.

It unwound and fastened itself around her arm "Hogwarts seems to have other ideas" she faintly heard Dumbledore say before a wave of magic hit her. To the other two she seemed to glow brightly, her hair loosening and flowing around her as if she was standing in a powerful wind. Suddenly Severus too seemed to glow, and he doubled up on himself screaming in pain. It stopped as suddenly as it started, and he felt something heavy and unfamiliar on his wrist. As he pulled up his sleeve, the first thing he registered was that his dark mark was gone. The second thing he noticed when his dazed brain began functioning after that shock was a golden snake fastened around the wrist. "My mark, it`s gone. I thought nothing could ever remove it" he said disbelievingly.

Gem looked at her own arm-ring, then strode up to him, seeing the snake ring round his wrist she said "You seem to have been chosen as champion for Slytherin dear, that is fitting. I think maybe Harry too was affected; we should hurry down to the kitchen to check on him. Leaving a flabbergasted Headmaster behind them they immediately flooed to the kitchen, here they found a gaggle of concerned elves surrounding an unconscious Harry. When the elves saw them appear one of the elves stepped forward twisting its own ears saying "young master just fell on the floor screaming and writhing, and some black stuff came out from him, we could do nothing mistress".

"I know you had nothing to do with this, you need not punish yourselves. I am happy that you were here to take care of Harry for us, but I want to request that you don`t tell anybody what happened here".

The same elf spoke up again, "Mistress can rely on us elves, we follow the wishes of the heir and her family now". Gem looked around on the small faces around her and said "yes I expect I can rely on you to keep my secrets safe, I again thank you for looking after my son. We will return him to our quarters, and you may go on with your normal business".

Severus lifted Harry easily, and forgoing the floo they went back to their quarters. As they found where the entrance should be they stopped simultaneously. The normal tapestry hiding Severus" quarters was gone it had been replaced by a big door with a motif of the mascots for the four houses. Standing there for a moment they looked at the new entrance and each other before daring to pass through. The door opened soundlessly as they approached, and again they stopped up, looking around them. The place had been transformed utterly, many more doors had appeared in the walls and the rooms had become brighter and bigger. "Hogwarts seems to think that we need a bigger space" Gem commented drily. Severus just swooped to the sofa laying Harry down on it. Gem followed, and slid her fingers around his wrist trying to feel his pulse. Instead she met another arm-ring; she slid his sleeve up finding a broad golden cuff with a stylized lion on it. Harry groaned and started moving fitfully at this moment, after a few seconds he opened his eyes and asked "what the heck happened, one minute I was eating cake and the next I felt like I was on fire".

"You remember I told you I may be able to control Hogwarts if I wanted, well Hogwarts chose to activate a mechanism for choosing its heir. As it did so, you and Severus got involved in the bond between me and the school. Severus had a similar experience to yours, just less violent. His mark from Voldemort vanished, and was replaced by a symbol of Slytherin. From what the elves told us I`m reasonably sure that your connection to Voldemort also was banished from you and instead you received a symbol of Gryffindor. I received an arm-ring showing the symbols for Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, so it seems that we have each been chosen as champions for the different houses. It also seems that Hogwarts wanted us to have bigger accommodations, as you see our rooms are unrecognizable".

Harry looked around and smiled slightly at the big picture widows that had appeared in the kitchen end of the big room "I like the windows, but it was a bit cozier in here before. Where did all the carpets for the walls go" he asked.

As he said this a big green and silver tapestry appeared alongside the big fireplace, and several bookcases appeared from nowhere. "It seems that Hogwarts is not entirely finished changing our rooms yet, I`m curious what we end up with" Gem told him. Severus strode to the door after door opening them commenting on what he found as he went, they seemed to have acquired a library, a fully stocked small lab, a couple of guest rooms, two extra bathrooms each connected to their personal rooms. As he rejoined them in the living room he asked "how are you feeling Harry, any better"?

"Yes I feel ok, but I`d like to know for sure whether that horthingy has been banished as Gem said it could have been. Is there any way we can check that".

"I don't know if we can be entirely sure, but we have a small test we can do if you want" Gem told him. "Yes please, I`d like that" he answered.

"Severus, if you would cast serpentsortia in front of Harry" Gem asked. Severus and Harry looked at her curiously so she told them "the connection with Voldemort manifested itself in several ways, most prominent was the ability to speak the snake language Parseltongue. If Harry can`t speak it any more, it is likely that the Horcrux is gone also".

Severus looked grim for a moment and then cast the serpentsortia spell; a big green snake appeared in front of the sofa hissing confusedly. Harry looked at it trying to concentrate, but in the end he shook his head. I only hear hissing, that hopefully means that I don`t understand it and have lost that ability".

"The snake was indeed not only hissing" Gem told him after banishing the snake again. "I`m glad for you, the ability is closely connected to dark wizards and would only have spelled trouble for you". She then went on to explain that as she was a descendant of Slytherin like Riddle, she too could understand and speak Parseltongue.

That evening they again spent playing games, to get Harry`s mind off the thought of horcruxes. As they sat playing an unfamiliar owl pecked on the window, it bore messages for them all from Lupin. He was inviting Harry to meet him at Diagon alley the next Monday, and detailed that Black also would probably be there as he needed both to meet up with the goblins and to get some clothing. He wrote that he understood that Harry wasn`t supposed to get out and about in the wizarding world, but he hoped they could find a way for this excursion to happen as he and Black both wanted to buy Harry a belated birthday present.

Gem took one look at Harry`s hopeful face and turned the page answering that they would meet at the Leaky Cauldron at ten Monday.

"How will you pull that off without admitting I`m with you guys now" Harry asked curiously.

"Ill have to disguise myself as your aunt I`m afraid, still want to go despite that"?

"Yes definitely, what about you sir will you stay here alone"?

"I think I"ll be there at eight pretending to buy new ingredients. I don`t want you with those two maniacs without someone responsible as backup. If Gem is to pretend being your aunt, she cannot do any magic; she will therefore be of no use if a situation arises".

"Good idea dearest" said Gem and kissed his cheek. "I`m sure you`re principally against this, I know I really am. But I cannot deny Harry this trip; he needs to meet other people than us dreary old guys". Harry sniggered quietly at that, while Severus scoffed "I`ll give you dreary old guy wife".


	24. Chapter 24

Diagon Alley again.

That Monday day when Gem got up Severus had already gone to Diagon Alley. Gem ate breakfast with Harry before taking a flask with polyjuice out from a small bag; she added a hair from Petunia Dursley that she had wisely collected while they were there and drank a portion down. "Can`t you just glamour yourself as my aunt" Harry suggested.

No, as long as I don`t have the amulet any glamour can be cancelled by somebody casting a simple finite. I want you to keep the protective amulet though, as it may protect you if all else fails. The polyjuice is an unpleasant way to disguise oneself, but it works and no finite can destroy the disguise.

Harry and `aunt Petunia` went to Gems old rooms to fetch Black; he was looking a lot better after the period of rest, and was ready to go. "Harry and Miss, what will I call you today then".

Mrs. Dursley is my name today Black, I beg you not to forget it. Shall we go forth and meet Lupin".

"After you mylady" Black said bowing and flourishing his arm.

"No you imbecile, I"m a muggle today and I can`t floo alone so you will have to guide us all".

Black looked from them to the floo and back before saying "Oh, of course" and offered his elbow for her to take.

When they flooed through to the Leaky cauldron, people reacted predictably. Lupin stood there largely ignored as people crammed around Black and Harry, trying to get either of their autographs while totally ignoring `Mrs. Dursley` who was with them. Black basked in the attention and didn`t seem to mind at all, while Harry unsuccessfully tried hiding behind him. In the end Lupin managed to snap Black out of it, and ushered the lot of them towards the entrance to Diagon Alley. As it was only a week before semester start, Diagon Alley was propped full of late shoppers already many of whom stopped when they saw both Sirius Black and Harry Potter in one space.

Harry again tried unsuccessfully to hide behind Black, while Black seemed to revel in the attention. Within minutes they had acquired a retinue of dozens of people, which made it impossible to access any shop without bursting it completely.

Gem hissed to Lupin, "you had better try curb Black`s enthusiasm for attention a bit or we will never be able to get anywhere today". The werewolf tried valiantly to discourage the people gathering, but his mild manners obviously impressed no one. People just streamed on, and Harry could barely move for adoring fans. As they all (except Black) began fearing that they would be smothered they heard Severus` icy voice in the distance, he seemed to clear the crowd within minutes. As he came near enough he said with his old sneer firmly in place "Black you peacock, I should have expected finding you in the middle of that insane crowd. Can you not think about anyone except yourself, you almost blocked the entire alley with your entourage"?

"I was just playing for the crowd Snape, you`re just envious no one can stand being in your company for more than a minute" Black retorted.

Severus scowled saying "being ignored or shunned seems preferable to the effect you were creating, the young man you have with you seems not to have enjoyed himself much, and Lupin seems almost on the verge of actually standing up for himself for once". To Harry and Gem he said "allow me to present myself, I am Severus Snape defense against the dark arts instructor at Hogwarts. And you are"?

Gem made a fake polite face like Petunia Dursley would have and answered in Petunias whiny tone "Mrs. Dursley and Harry Potter. You at least seem to be able to keep off the crowds unlike these others, maybe you would shepherd us so that we can go about without being run over by adoring fans of Mr. Blacks. I for one want this day to be over and for us not to be injured by stampeding idiots".

Looking at her in that penetrating way of his he said "Why of course, it is an honor to meet you and Mr. Potter". As he said this his customary cold sneer manifested itself on his face, and he continued "Mr. Black can act as a lightening rod siphoning off the fans before they can stampede the rest of you". Black looked at him as if to say "thanks a lot for that", and Severus shrugged eloquently as if to indicate that as Black obviously enjoyed the attention, he could keep it, and let Harry go about in peace.

From then on Black managed to fend off most of his potential admirers, and they finally managed to go around in relative peace. A few brave souls braved Severus` icy stare to get up close enough to greet Harry, but most were too intimidated by his presence to dare.

Black grumbling a bit went off to get a much needed haircut, and to meet with the Goblins managing the Black estate. Lupin guided the others to Fortescue`s ice-cream shop, where he bought them all scoops with different flavors. They stayed there for a while before walking on "I`d like to buy a small present for your birthday Harry. I`m sorry I can`t afford much, but if there is anything you want please let me know " Lupin said. Severus and Gem walked a bit behind Harry and Lupin, while they searched for the perfect (small) present for Harry. Finally Harry requested a book with facts about the wizarding world, claiming he needed it as he was sick of knowing next to nothing about the world he was entering. They walked about for at least an hour, Severus scaring away most people who wanted to get close to Harry. Finally Black came striding towards them from the direction of Gringotts "I need a drink and preferably a big one. Those buggers actually expect me to begin managing funds and doing my duty as heir" he said shuddering at the words managing and duty the only positive part is that I`m capable of spoiling my god-son properly. What about it Harry, want a professional broom or something other that your guardians would disapprove mightily of".

At this Severus growled "stop being so juvenile, Black. You know well first years aren`t allowed brooms, in addition you`re embarrassing Mr. Potter here". Harry indeed seemed embarrassed, and could not think of anything he wanted as a present from Black. He already owned an owl, all his books and clothes had already been purchased. In the end Black ended up purchasing a Nimbus broom (for use at home he explained shiftily), a training snitch (just in case) and some quiddich shirts. Severus left the others alone long enough to buy some small items, plus a pet for Harry. Not having had a pet himself he nevertheless recognized the calming effect having one could have on children. The beautiful half Kneazle kits he ended with buying reminded him of both his wife and Harry. One was white with greenish eyes; the other was black with strange golden eyes. Not wanting to be seen with them, he summoned Trinket and asked her to take them home, together with the cat baskets and toys he also bought.

After a busy couple of hours Black finally tired of his fans and agreed to get back. Severus on his part found an excuse for leaving too. He followed behind the others, contriving to disguise their destination by casting a quick muffliato as they vanished, and then flooing back to Hogwarts behind them. As They left Black in Gem`s old rooms Harry said seriously to the two others "I really hate being famous, is there any way I could enroll in school as Jared, leaving Harry behind so that I won`t have to go through that again".

"I understand how you feel darling, but you are Harry Potter. Being Jared Snape can only be temporary, or you would have to live the rest of your life under a glamour.

"Not necessarily" said the voice of Albus Dumbledore from the shadows.

"Merlin Headmaster, you scared me. I didn`t see you standing there" Gem exclaimed.

"I do not need much to become invisible Miss Gem, and as I said Harry could become Jared without too many problems. You have already adopted him, a name change and a special ceremony would see to that".

"What special ceremony, I have never heard of anything more extreme than the blood adoption. And that only changes small parts to reflect your new family".

"There is a long forgotten spell the Similes Apparentia, it was earlier used by desperate witches in loveless marriages trying to make any children begotten by lovers seem more like their husbands. If Harry really wants this, it is an option which would keep him even safer than the plan you're already following.

"As you did not seem too eager to adjust to our adoption of Harry earlier you will excuse me from asking why you are willing to help us suddenly".

"Your show and tell has sobered me; I admit that I am human and can make mistakes, but I feel that I still can contribute. I still want Harry and Severus kept safe, and if that means coining a story explaining why Harry Potter does not appear in school but Jared Snape do I will happily do so".

Harry turned a determined face to Gem but she felt that she had say something "are you sure dear. It would mean losing Harry Potter maybe forever, and living under a fake name. Are the benefits worth it". To her surprise Severus chimed in here saying "the Headmaster actually makes great sense. Being Jared would be safer, and in addition Harry could admit to his relationship with us. Taken together there would be less lies, and he would only have to conceal his true name from the world until he was ready to claim it again.

"Jared Lawrence Harry James Potter Snape" mused Gem, "that is one mouthful of a name Larry dear. But if you are sure about this we can make it happen. I will miss those beautiful eyes though; they will be a loss".

"The change can be reversed when Larry becomes an adult if he wants to do that, he can then revert to being Harry by ingesting a reversal potion. Until his seventeenth birthday however he will be stuck looking like a Snape, so if he wants to back out this is the time for it" the headmaster said looking hard at Larry/Harry.

"I want to be just me, not some symbol. I want people to like me for myself, not an imaginary me. If this means I have to contend with Severus" hair and nose, I`ll happily trade one for the other" Harry said determinedly.

The Headmaster followed the others into the new quarters and stood there looking around for a moment. By now the rooms were entirely transformed, rich tapestries covered many walls and the rest were filled with either deep window seats or giant bookcases.

Gathering himself forcefully he asked the three to sit before taking a small book out of one pocket. "The spell calls for one pretend parent only, so only one of you can be included. As you have already coined the name Snape for Harry I gather this will be Severus"?

"Yes, I have already presented Larry for Lucius Malfoy as my cousin; I think he suspects that the boy is really my illegitimate child. Maybe we should create that impression in others too, if you don`t mind that Gem".

Gem just shook her head to indicate that this was no problem for her, and Albus took up a stance starting to incant the ancient spell. A green and silver mist sprang from Severus, meeting a golden mist that emanated from Harry. The boy doubled over and screamed in pain as the transformation took hold, on a whim Severus took hold of him and held him until the boy stopped shaking.

"You can let go dad, I`m OK now" Larry said indistinctly. As Severus let go Larry asked "can I call you dad by the way".

"Yes son you may call me dad, except when we are in a class, then I`ll ask that you call me professor. Stand up and let`s get a look at you now, I think both I and your mother are curious about how you look with even more of my genes".

As Larry straightened they saw he had acquired a couple of centimeters in height, his eyes had become darker and a deep greenish blue, while his hair had straightened completely. The nose luckily seemed less hooked than Severus", while the high cheekbones were obviously Severus". Gem stroked his cheek wonderingly "you will have the ladies panting after you in a couple of years darling, you seem to have gotten a perfect blend of Severus and your parents.

You do make beautiful children Severus, if we ever conceive I`m curious to see if ours become as good looking as Larry here". Larry writhed uncomfortably at her words, and quickly excused himself diving into the security of his own room.


	25. Chapter 25

The Hogwarts Express

In the last week before term started the three of them together with the headmaster had decided on an official name, limiting it to Jared Lawrence Snape, and made sure all papers showed that Larry was really Severus` son and a product of some fling with a half-blood witch some twelve years ago. To make sure they didn`t lose the patronage of the Malfoys (even if they really would have preferred locking Lucius up in Azkaban for the foreseeable future) Severus made sure to confess that Larry was really his son, not his cousin. Malfoy bought the story hook and sinker, and their continued access to the estate was secured.

Severus had mellowed surprisingly much in the weeks since summer began, not to say that he didn`t scowl or bark sometimes but he was a lot more relaxed. Gem thought that this resulted mostly from him losing the dark mark, which had served as an ultimate reminder of his Death Eater past.

Black had been put out that they had made Harry `disappear`, but he had finally got over the fact that Harry Potter would be `lost` at least until Larry became seventeen and could choose to reclaim his old looks. Gem had spent some time persuading him that he at least should make sure the Black estate was taken care of by an experienced estate manager, she also persuaded him to put up money for a fund meant for helping poorer students buy the books and other materials they needed for school. She used Larry as emotional blackmail to gain what she needed, making sure Black knew that Larry would need him to be both connected and respected. She also hinted strongly that his position and power might directly influence Larry`s future safety and the fight against the Death Eaters.

After a week of lounging around with his new parents or Black and meeting all his new teachers, Larry was ready to start school. He was accompanied by Gem to London and Kings Cross station. Gem followed Larry through the barrier to platform 9 and ¾, and helped him find a compartment.

"My best tip for you today is to try not to judge on first appearances, and to include those who seem not to acquire friends easily. Have fun; and I`ll see you in a couple of hours" Gem said before stealing the opportunity to kiss his forehead lightly. The telltale scar had lightened considerably in one week, helped on by Severus' best anti scar cream. Anybody guessing that Larry Snape really was Harry Potter would have to be either a thought reader or crazy good.

"Mother you`re embarrassing me" Larry said with a cheeky grin and Gem just laughed, gave his hair a last ruffle before she exited the train and apparated to the gates of Hogwarts.

Larry sat alone in his compartment for a while before an anxious looking round faced boy knocked on the door and stuck his head inside asking "have you seen a toad anywhere, I`ve lost mine and can`t seem to find him".

"I haven`t seen him, but I can help you look if you want" Larry offered.

"Thanks, I`d like that. His name is Trevor, and he`s always escaping somewhere".

"If he`s always escaping, you must always have found him again" Larry told the other boy trying to use some Slytherin logic. "It therefore follows that you won`t need to look to hard, as even if you don`t look he will have to turn up when and where he`s not expected to".

The other boy`s face scrunched up as he tried following Larry`s convoluted logic and he said "If you say so, I`ll just go fetch my trunk, and maybe I can sit here with you as everywhere else is full".

"Please do" Larry said lounging back in his seat again. As the round faced boy came back he brought with him a bushy haired girl who also needed somewhere to sit. The girl introduced herself as Hermione Granger, explained that she was muggleborn and that her parents had been surprised but happy to find they had a witch in the family. By the time she stopped to draw a breath Larry was seriously worried the girl might faint form lack of oxygen.

The round faced boy admitted in a low voice that his name was Neville Longbottom and he was surprised at being here as well. No one had thought that he would have enough magic in him to come to Hogwarts at all, as he never had shown much tendency to accidental magic.

In his turn Larry presented himself with his new name, he then told the others that his dad and stepmom both worked as teachers at the school. "I hope everybody won`t brand me as a teacher's pet because of that, but my parents warned me it may happen".

Hermione brightened up considerably as he said this "I think you`re lucky Larry, you will have an advantage over the others as you can go directly to the source if you have trouble with the homework. What I wouldn`t give for that opportunity myself".

Larry had to laugh a bit at the girl; she was obviously a different kind of crazy. He decided he liked her despite that "I`m sure they would let me bring friends around some times. You can use the opportunity to ask them all kinds of questions" he said.

"You mean that you would like to be friends with me" Hermione all but squeaked.

" Yes I`d like to be friends with both of you" Larry said still laughing at the squeaking girl.

"You would be my first friends my own age" Hermione squeaked again all but dancing in her seat. Larry and Neville both laughed at her silly antics and within minutes they all laughed together like the children they were.

When the candy cart came round Larry bought a bit of everything with the money Gem had given him. He and Neville had to cajole Hermione a bit before she consented to tying some, and soon they were all enjoying the fantastic candy together. They sat together talking and laughing the rest of the journey, as the announcement came that they were nearing Hogwarts the two boys first let Hermione change clothes while they waited outside. After changing themselves, they cleaned out the cabin and readied their trunks as the train slowly slid to a halt.


	26. Chapter 26

Sorting out the houses.

Larry had only a small bag that he chose to keep with him, while the others left their trunks on the train as instructed. As the three of them stepped out and onto the platform they heard Hagrid`s voice calling for the first years to assemble, and they scrambled to reach him without being overrun by all the others. "Hullo Larry, you didn't bring Hedwig on the trip I see" Hagrid said beaming as he saw Larry. (The big man had allowed his memory to be changed slightly, so he now remembered giving Hedwig to Larry and not to Harry Potter.).

"Hey Hagrid" Larry called and waved at him, but refrained from trying to come nearer. By now the platform was packed with milling students, and they all had barely space to move an inch.

"Follow me all you first years" Hagrid finally called as the stream of first years lessened.

Together they trooped to the shore of the lake where small boats waited for them. As they congregated they were divided into fours and the boats set off, the trip was uneventful but for Hagrid finally finding Neville's lost toad.

Larry had of course seen the castle before, but found himself oohing and ahhing with the others despite that, the view from the lake was spectacular after all.

As soon as they reached the castle Hagrid left them to go find the deputy head, and while they were waiting Larry heard Malfoy saying "I thought that Harry Potter would be starting this year, I wonder where he is. I know he isn`t here at least, a pity father would have liked for me to make his acquaintance". The rest of the students were craning their necks hoping to catch a glimpse of the famous Harry Potter, and bemoaning the fact that he didn`t seem to be present.

And that shows just what you know Larry thought to himself, quite happy not to be Harry Potter at this moment. As the ghosts streamed in many people jumped violently, Larry just waved cheekily at those he had met around the castle.

Hermione seemed too scared to stop chattering and was going on nonstop about how lucky he was to know the castle already. Larry patted her back a bit to try and calm her, saying "I have just lived here less than a month so I don`t know much either. Calm down now Hermione or you will have a nervous breakdown before dinner is served".

Hermione did not seem capable of calming and continued chattering, but as the two boys exchanged suffering glances she luckily noticed them and finally shut up. "We are all nervous Hermione, but it will all be over soon enough. Try to remember how to breathe in the mean time" Neville said in a calming manner. Neither of the three spoke any more while they lined up and trooped into the great hall.

Larry felt the excitement flow around him, but his own nervousness abated when he saw Severus sitting at the front. He smiled brightly up at him, and in turn Severus inclined his head in that regal manner of his. Larry didn`t pay much attention to the hat singing or the sorting, he woke enough to clap as both Hermione and Neville were sorted into Gryffindor (a bit of a surprise as she seemed more of the Ravenclaw type, and Neville seemed much more a Hufflepuff type). Larry felt his excitement mount as the list neared the S part of the alphabet, and finally he heard his new name called. As he sat down and the hat was dropped over his head he heard a small voice in his ear "well this is a surprise, Harry Potter sitting here bold as brass under a different name. I know that the school has already pointed you out as champion for Gryffindor, but I`d like for you to help try reconciling the houses. Use your new fathers' cunning, and your own sense of what is right to help plant ideas in the Headmasters mind so that we may sway Slytherin away from the dangerous path they have been following for years".

"I`ll do what I can" Larry thought back at the hat, and heard it announce to the hall that he was to go to Gryffindor house. As he trooped down to the table and sat down between Hermione and Neville, the table clapped politely. He sat down and turned to look up at the teachers table again, Gem was smiling proudly at him. True to form Severus didn`t smile, but Larry thought he saw a proud glint in the dark eyes that met his, Severus lifted his empty goblet to him in a small congratulatory toast and Larry felt happiness fill him as he turned back to the rest of the table.

After the last of the students had been sorted the Headmaster got up and spread his arms wide "To our new students welcome to Hogwarts, to our older students welcome back. I have a few things to say to you, but they can keep till later, for now you are welcome to tuck in".

Within minutes students were laughing and joking as they filled plates, and as they ate they chatted happily about all and sundry. Full and happy Larry watched as the the desserts vanished, and the Headmaster again got up clapping his hands to get their attention. "Again I would like to welcome everyone to a new year here at Hogwarts, before we all find our soft beds and get some well earned sleep I need to give out some information. First and foremost the forbidden forest is, as it says forbidden for all students to enter. This year the third floor corridor is closed for refurbishment, and students would do well to stay away from there.

Now I know some of you had expected to see Harry Potter here, but sadly his family has opted to leave Britain. This is a loss for our school of course, but Mr. Potter will hopefully enjoy living abroad and we all hope to see him come back here at one point. Lastly I want to wish you all a good night, and express my hope that you will be fresh and eager tomorrow as you start your first lessons".

With that they were dismissed, and the first years clustered around their prefect. "First years follow me" he called "there are many trick staircases here, some go a different way on Tuesdays and some have trick steps. If you find yourself stuck, don`t hesitate to yell for help. Everyone here has at one point stepped on the wrong step, or found themselves stuck in the wrong place. I urge you to stay away from Peeves, the poltergeist however. He is more likely to topple things on you than anything else".

As he said this they finally reached the portrait of the fat lady, and the prefect gave the password "Toad".

As the portrait swung open Neville whispered to Larry, "I`m glad it`s an easy password, I`m rubbish at remembering such things so I hope they stick to the easy stuff". Larry doubted that every password would be as easy but didn`t bother saying this, as the crowd had just been let through to the common room. The prefect continued talking for a while, showing them where the stairs were to the different dormitories and talking a bit about rules. But nobody seemed to pay attention, as everybody was busy yawning and longing to get into some warm comfy beds. Larry felt pleasantly tired as he trooped after the rest of the boys in his dormitory, and soon found his trunk had been placed by one of the beds. His cat Blackie was lying on his covers purring contentedly, as she waited for him. The sight of Blackie cheered him and after brushing his teeth he crawled into his bed sighing in a contented way as he felt Blackie curl up at his side.


	27. Chapter 27

The first defense and potions lessons

The next days were very full of impressions, despite having lived in the castle these past three weeks it was still difficult to find the way to all their lessons. Larry hadn`t had time to see either of his adopted parents though, and in a way he was looking forward to defense mostly because he would be able to at least see Severus. Larry was also a bit apprehensive as he already knew Severus was a strict man, he just hoped that the lessons would be interesting.

As the first years crowded into the classroom, Severus was waiting for them already.

As they had found places Severus stood up and addressed them "Good afternoon class, I am Severus Snape your defense professor. You will address me as sir or professor at all times, is this understood"?

The class managed to mumble an agreement as Severus gave them a mild glare.

He then proceeded to take a roll call, and as he reached Larry`s name every head flipped back and forth between them obviously trying to pin down the connection between the two.

After finishing the roll call Severus said in his most silky tones "This is one of the most important classes you will take as it will help inform you of how to handle dangerous creatures that you may meet. Later on we will learn spells used both in defense and attack and we will discuss what spells are the most dangerous. Hopefully by the year's end we will all be proficient enough with some simple defensive spells that we can arrange a small tournament. For today we will start with a lesson on dark creatures" he then proceeded to ask about which dark creatures they had heard of. By the end of the lesson the class was almost reluctant to go, as they were in the middle of an interesting discussion about redcaps.

"Mr. Snape, may I have a quick word please" Severus called as the students finally stood up and began filing out of the classroom. Neville and Hermione hovered uncertainly at the door while Larry went up to the desk where Severus stood waiting "I`m innocent sir, it wasn`t me" Larry said grinning widely.

"Very funny son" Severus said smirking back at him "do you get on OK, anything you need"?

"I have everything I need for now, and everything is quite OK. I`m still having some difficulty finding my way, but the lessons are interesting and I have made some friends" here Larry indicated Hermione and Neville who were still by the door.

Severus nodded regally at the two and said "You had better run along or you will be late for your next lesson, if you can find time however we would like to see you soon. Between me and you I think your mother frets a bit because she hasn`t seen you in almost a week", as he said this he smiled conspiratorially at Larry.

Larry asked "Can I bring my friends down too"?

"Of course you may bring them whenever you like, in fact how about we invite you all for dinner Saturday "?

Larry gave his dad a quick thumbs up, and ran out of the classroom dragging the others behind. Seeing the other Gryffindor first years in the distance he slowed just enough to inform the others that they were invited for Saturday dinner if they wanted before he sped up again to catch up to the others.

Friday was the first potions class for the first years and Gem swept into the dungeon classroom to find the students milling around. 'Find your places people, anybody not in place within two minutes will lose points.' The students hurried to find places and looked expectantly at her so she got on with her prepared welcome speech. 'Now that we're finally in place I will introduce myself and the subject we will be studying. I am Gem Snape and you will call me professor Gem or Miss Gem as there is already a professor Snape. Two of us might create confusion'. The students laughed a bit at that.

Gem continued on pretending not to notice their mirth, after performing a roll call she said

'we are here to study the art of potions. Most of you will not recognize the magic in potions as there is no wand waving involved. What is needed to succeed in potions is the ability to read instructions and to follow these to the letter. A lucky few will have the ability to create new potions, but most are never able to become good potion makers.

Potions can be dangerous; anybody acting up, throwing ingredients or disturbing other students in any other way will find themselves in detention so fast that their heads will spin. You had better believe that I have eyes in my back" as she said this Gem spelled a couple of 'eyes' onto her back and turned dramatically. The students found this really funny and doubled up laughing.

Gem let them laugh a bit before clearing her throat and continuing ' in order to illustrate the dangers of potions I have brought a reactive potion here. Please stand up class and stand in front of my desk, not too close though'.

When the students had lined up she took out her prepared solution and moved to one side. 'I will demonstrate a spell that you will find useful, each of you who I call up will cast this at the cauldron to observe for yourself why casting spells around potions is a bad idea. Observe my movement and how the incantation is pronounced'. Gem then proceeded to cast lumos in a direction away from the cauldron. She then made each of them cast the spell until she was satisfied that everybody managed. Calling a few students forward she had them cast the same innocent spell at the cauldron, the result was immediate. Potion exploded out of the cauldron each time.

'Move further back in the room and I will demonstrate the effect of a wrong ingredient being added' Gem told them. When they had done as she asked she erected shields around both her and them before flinging an ingredient into the cauldron. Within seconds it was frothing violently, and then the cauldron exploded with a redounding BANG.

'As you see students there are reasons why it is a bad idea to indiscriminately use wands around potions or to add unknown ingredients' she told the gaping audience. Please find your seats again and we will start practicing how to prepare your ingredients'.

The class spent the rest of the lesson slicing and dicing in the way Gem instructed. She walked round correcting on their method. As the bell sounded Gem called out, 'good job everyone next time we will make a simple boil removal potion. I suggest you study the method and ingredients beforehand, Misters Longbottom and Weasley can wait behind please'. As the rest of the class exited Longbottom and Weasley hung back looking at each other nervously. 'Don't worry boys you are not going to be used as potion ingredients; I would however request that you come by my office after your last lesson today'.

'Are we in trouble' asked Weasley.  
'No of course not, I just have some questions for you two. If you hurry now you can reach the others before they eat all the good stuff, I'll see you two later".

When the two boys knocked on her office door later she had two mugs of hot chocolate waiting with a warming charm on them. 'Come in boys, I don't bite'.  
The boys came in looking quite nervous, but brightened up when she gave them their chocolate.  
'I only wanted to ask a question about your wands. I noticed you had trouble making them work, are they your own wands or did you inherit them'?

Both Weasley and Longbottom admitted that they had inherited the wands in question. 'As I though, not too many realize that using the wrong wand can be difficult. Luckily a wand maker will visit the school in the weekend, I will arrange for you two to be tested for new wands.

Weasley mumbled that his family couldn`t afford a new wand, and this was why he had his brothers old one. "That won`t be a problem. Sirius Black has just given a large grant to the school, which is to be used to buy books, robes or new wands for those who do not have the money to do so themselves. A wand that is keyed to the individual wielding it is required material for all first years; the school will therefore provide one for you. With that Gem dismissed the two boys and after spending some time correcting her first essays she went back to her quarters.

As she entered she heard giggling form Larry`s room and popped her head in to see who was there. Larry and the bushy haired girl called Granger was sitting there together with Longbottom. "Hello mother, I`m just showing my friends my room. Dad did say I could come by and bring my friends too" babbled Larry.

Gem smiled at him and said "I`m glad you want to spend time here too, it gets a bit quiet here with only me and your dad. Can I get you anything, or has Trinket already offered to bring snacks".

"I didn`t want to call her, here, she is probably busy. Neville here says you make a very good cup of cocoa so maybe you could help us make some". Gem motioned for the children to follow her, and together they made some sandwiches and hot cocoa. The children trooped back to Larry`s room with the goodies, assisted by Gem. Larry then asked "could we show my friends our game please mother", and Gem ended up sitting with the three children playing Severus` game until the man himself came walking in.

As he did so Hermione was just enthusing "this is a brilliant game Miss Gem, it is so educational. It must be very popular among wizards, I never saw it in the shops when I was in Diagon alley shopping for my stuff or I would have bought it in an instant".

Severus strode into the room at this moment and said "that is indeed a compliment miss Granger. My mother would have been thrilled to hear that her game was so well received by others. You see she developed the game for me when I was little, and we played it a lot but other than me and you four no others have ever seen it".

The girl blushed brightly and stammered a bit before managing to say "I think you should publish it sir. It could help in education, and I think even those who dislike school will enjoy learning if they can learn by playing a game as fun as this one".

"Maybe I will do that Miss Granger" he said while Larry sneakily added another game piece and made ready to include Severus in the game. "Play a round with us dad, and you can show us how it is done properly" he said turning his best puppy dog eyes onto Severus.

Severus scowled lightly at him but sat down with grace and said "all you four against me would be entirely unfair, I should at least have one beautiful lady to give me luck. How about it Miss Granger, will you help me knock these others into their boots.

Hermione again blushed brightly, but gamely consented to play against the others with Severus.


	28. Chapter 28

Peevish attacks

One potions lesson in early September Gem hadn't arrived yet when the students began filing in. Larry thought this could be the perfect opportunity to befriend Draco. There were good reasons why he wanted to befriend the blonde, for one he would be an inroad to Slytherin. Larry had not forgotten the sorting hats request to help integrate Slytherin.

Larry walked up to Draco and put out his hand while saying 'hey Malfoy, I don't know if you remember me. I'm Larry Snape and we met at the trial some weeks ago'

'I remember' Draco said shaking Larry's hand.  
'Can I sit with you in potions class' Larry asked.  
'Shouldn't you go back to your gryff friends, I see them glaring at us from the back'.

Larry turned to see who Draco meant "that's just Weasley, he'll learn soon enough that I choose my own friends. The reason why I want to sit with you is that I want to be good at potions, and I heard rumors that you were really good. I can't seem to get the hang of it, which is a bit embarrassing as both of my parents are potions master"'.

Draco just smirked and waved his hand to indicate that Larry was welcome to join him. Weasley obviously not content only with glaring stepped up to Larry and said furiously "you can't mean that you're going to sit with a snake, as if you weren't enough of a snake lover before with your snake father".

Larry stepped in front of the lanky redhead and hissed "you just shut up Weasley. I'll sit where I want and with whom I want. You on the other hand will be lucky if anyone will tolerate to come near you if you keep up insulting people left and right".

As the two boys stood there glaring at each other Gem walked in and quickly separated them, and taking two points each for fighting.

After that experience Larry thought long and hard on how to reduce the tensions between the houses, especially Gryffindor and Slytherin. He discussed the matter at length with his dad, and together they coined an idea to present to Professor Dumbledore. On Friday as Larry came back to his parent`s quarters from his last lesson he was surprised to see the Headmaster sitting in his parlor, having tea with Severus. Severus smirked at him and said "I thought you should present your excellent idea to the Headmaster, it would mean more coming from you than from me". Feeling acutely embarrassed Larry barely managed to stutter his explanation to the Headmaster "you see I got the idea that we should integrate the houses more. The solution I thought of was to establish a championship between joined houses, the houses that cooperate best and rack in the most points will win together. Dad thought the best way to combine the houses was to put Slytherin with Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor with Ravenclaw. I also thought a chess championship would be a good idea, with the two best students from each house making a team and ultimately competing against the best teachers. Again I thought the students would have to cooperate to win, playing a match each or something like that".

"I think those are some excellent ideas, I will institute both championships as soon as possible. I have one idea more for you though, how about instituting an intra house defense group with the goal of learning new spells and have fun while doing it" said the headmaster twinkling madly at Larry.

"Marvelous idea Headmaster, but we are all too inexperienced in spells to be able to teach each other anything. We would need a proper teacher for that, but maybe we could start a homework group. That was one of Hermione's ideas actually, then we could progress to a defense group later as we learn more".

The Headmaster then asked Severus "is there any way I can assist in your quest to get rid of those things we talked of earlier"?

"I am sorry headmaster, but we feel it is too great a risk. You are needed as the leader of the light side; if you were to be injured while Potter is thought lost it would lead to panic. The best thing you can do is to help us integrate Slytherin more so that we may hinder the rising of a new dark lord from their ranks". The headmaster looked a bit disappointed, but nodded at Severus before exiting quickly.

By the end of September someone had managed to set Peeves the poltergeist out on a rampage. It seemed that everywhere they looked a suit of armor was toppled and chandeliers were swinging wildly. The culmination had been when Seamus Finnegan had been trapped by Peeves early one morning and not found until late in the night, as a result the first years soon moved in groups because they thought Peeves would be less likely to successfully trap a larger group than single individuals.

One day Larry`s group was joined by Ronald Weasley, he wasn't too popular amongst them as he tended to react badly to Hermione's attempts to help him when he couldn`t perform a spell. It had one day ended up with him yelling that he didn`t need a bleeding know-it-all badgering him all the time, and this in turn had made Hermione start to cry.

Larry had to admit that Hermione was a bit of a know-it-all, but Ronald hadn`t needed to yell at her just for trying to help. In addition to this the clash he and Ron had in potions class weeks earlier still was a sore point between them.

As a result the group that was moving towards the stairs was sullen and silent. While they walked Hermione was talking to Neville about some new discoveries she had made in one of her many books, and as a result neither was looking where they were going. Too late Larry tried to yell "don`t step there" as their feet touched one of the trick steps in the stair.

At the same time as their legs were sucked into the trick step, a couple of suits of armor started to attack them. Larry leapt in between the attacking suits of armor and the two trapped friends, but all he managed was to get knocked out. Ron debated for a moment what to do, but finally thought to himself that any action of his directly against the attackers would surely have the same result as Larry`s desperate attempt. Running as quick as he could he desperately searched for a teacher, spotting Professor Snape in the end of a corridor he yelled at the top of his lungs "professor, come quick. Your son and some others are trapped and are being attacked by suits of armor. I think Larry was knocked unconscious while trying to defend his friends, and all of them are helpless".

Snape came running after Ron and as they reached the helpless students he cast a quick spell that dismantled the suits of armor, then he cast his patronus to alert Madam Pomfrey that she was needed. Looking over his unlucky son and students he saw that Larry was indeed unconscious and bleeding from a head wound, Mr. Longbottom was bruised and bloodied, but because he had shielded her with his own body Miss Granger was relatively unharmed. "Mr. Weasley, five points to Gryffindor for showing the intelligence to fetch a teacher quickly. You may leave for your next lesson, I will give you a note to your teacher explaining why you are late" Severus said. The boy nodded and took the offered note before running off at high speed. "No running in the corridors" Severus yelled after him.

Madam Pomfrey arrived minutes after, and together they managed to move all three students to the infirmary.

Soon all three had been placed in beds, Mr. Longbottom had woken and his injuries had been seen to while Larry still was out cold. Severus walked up to the bed Longbottom was in; Longbottom whitened and tried to make himself smaller. Severus just said "Mr. Longbottom I commend your actions in protecting a classmate, ten points to Gryffindor"

The boy looked totally flabbergasted and barely managed to mumble "thanks sir", Severus went back to his sons bedside. Here Larry seemed about to wake up, and Severus sat beside him holding his small hand while he waited. When Larry finally woke, Severus bent over him and asked "how do you feel son".

"Like I was trampled by an elephant, are the others all right"?

Severus stroked his cheek gently and said "they are going to be fine, but you got hit quite hard on the head so you will have to stay over at least till tomorrow. When you get home again we will discuss the finer points of self preservation, and you will have a really good explanation why you didn`t run to get a teacher".

Larry looked abashed and mumbled "I didn`t think dad, will you punish me"?

"Yes and no, you will write me an essay detailing the dangers of jumping into dangerous situations without planning. I don`t normally give points to people for imbecilic actions such as yours, but as you tried to shield two classmates I find myself forced to give you two points. But don`t put yourself in harm's way again, running to get a teacher is a much better choice and luckily for you Mr. Weasley did make that choice.

From that day onwards Ron became one of their friends, as facing a horde of antagonistic armored assailants together had helped forge a bond between the four.

Ron still had a tendency to put his foot in his mouth from time to time, but Larry found to his glee that he was a bit more fun loving than the other two. Larry still liked Hermione and Neville very much, but neither was prepared to discuss the finer points of quiddich, or very willing to go on adventures. Ron was however and even managed to persuade the other two to join in a couple of escapades.


	29. Chapter 29

The anti Morty campaign starts

Larry found that much as he liked being in the dormitories, he still wanted to sleep in his room in the dungeons once in a while. As he had lived so long without any parents, he quite enjoyed being coddled a bit by his new mother.

A weekend a couple of weeks into October Larry sat in the living room reading a book and relaxing a bit with his adopted parents. He had by now begun feeling a bit unsettled at the thought of the thingys laying about and suddenly said to Gem "I had thought we would find those thingys you were talking of, so that we would be able to rid us of Morty soon" Larry complained (he had found that his classmates inevitably flinched when he said Voldemort so he had modified it to Morty. It was a funny name for a not so funny guy, and made people less anxious than the original). Gem looked up from her work, and said "I know you are anxious to get started dear, I was just trying to give you some time to get settled before we started our big anti Morty campaign".

Larry looked thoughtful for a moment before saying "I think I would feel more settled if I knew that Morty could not hurt me or others. Can`t we start soon, or will the thingys be difficult to get to.

"Some of them will require some work for us to be able to get them, I`ll need to bring in Mr. Black for at least one of them, and one I am unsure if we can get to. Hopefully we can use either the authority of Black or his house elf to get to it. One of the Horcruxes actually is here in the castle, so that can quite easily be dealt with".

Larry brightened considerably at that thought and asked "can we do it now, please"?

Severus frowned at him and asked how they could destroy the cursed items, and argued that a plan had to be in place for how to gather them without being cursed. Gem nodded at him and continued to explain "two of the items that I want to gather will be the most difficult. One is a fake Horcrux hidden in a remote cavern, protected by a dangerous potion that has to be drunk. Only one qualified wizard at a time plus a house elf or unqualified wizard can access the place where it is hidden, and the potion will render the person drinking it near insensible, leaving them vulnerable to attack by the Inferi that also protect the item". The other is in a place where either Mr. Black or his elf Kreacher may be the only ones that may be able to access.

"And why would we want to brave Inferi and dangerous potions for a fake Horcrux then" Severus sneered.

"I`m reasonably sure that we will need the Black house elf to assist us for the second item; the item in the cave is a key to getting that assistance. Black himself may be able to help us, but it`s not sure he will be willing to without knowing about what his brother sacrificed for this. The house elf Kreacher is the only witness to what transpired, and may be the only one that can tell Black what happened and have Black believe in it. The item is needed as a way to persuade Kreacher and Black to help us and each other".

Severus seemed to think about that for a bit "fine I will go get the item from the cave, as I don`t want you to ingest any potentially harmful potions in your condition" as he said this his eyes swept over her mid section significantly.

Larry sat up when he heard this while Trinket who had been working quietly in the kitchen popped out declaring "I wills go with master and drink potion for him. I insist on it, master cannot risk himself now that mistress is expecting".

Gem looked at the determined elf and told her "you are indeed a most loyal and good elf my dear Trinket. The elf bowed deeply and returned to the kitchen without speaking again.

Larry hopped up, and began singing "we`re going to destroy Morty and I`m to be a big brother" while he danced round.

"Difficult to know which he is the most excited about, destroying Horcruxes or becoming a big brother" Severus said laughing at Larry`s antics. The two adults discussed tactics for the safe handling of Horcruxes (or items as they started referring to them as), and when Larry finally calmed down they had agreed to fetch the first item immediately. Larry was almost hopping with glee as they proceeded up to the corridor where Gem knew the Room of Requirement was hidden. Here she walked three times past the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy before the entrance to the room of hidden things opened.

"Merlin this place is full of junk" Larry exclaimed as they entered, "where`s the thingy then mother". Gem led Severus and Larry towards the place where the diadem was hidden, and stopped right before it. "Here it is, looks quite innocent doesn`t it, Severus stepped in front of Gem and placed one of his dragonhide gloves on his hand before lifting the small thing down.

" It can be destroyed by a toxic substance such as basilisk venom. My last resort will be to destroy it by casting the Fiendfyre spell on it, but if we`re going to use that we need a safe place and a fireproof container as this is an incredibly dangerous spell".

The Basilisk

Severus frowned and said "basilisk venom can`t be obtained, but maybe another poison can destroy this item. I`d prefer not to have to resort to Fiendfyre, as you say Gem it is highly dangerous and very difficult to control".

Gem looked shiftily at her husband and said "what if Basilisk venom could be obtained then"

Severus gave her a slight sneer saying "have you got a Basilisk hidden in the cellar then".

"I didn`t hide him there, Salazar did. I can`t understand what he was thinking of at the time, but there it is".

Severus stopped abruptly gaping at her "are you seriously saying that Salazar Slytherin put a Basilisk in the cellar, which no one knows about. And that this Basilisk still exists down there after all these years".

"Yes, I think I may end up shrinking the poor thing and sending it to live in the Amazonian rainforest. I sure don`t particularly like the idea that it is here".

"What`s a Basilisk then" Larry asked hopping up and down. This sounded quite exiting, and he hoped he would be included in any missions to go find any prowling Basilisks (whatever they were). Gem said "A Basilisk is a giant snake, that has both a deadly stare and a incredibly potent venom".

"And you Larry are not to go looking for it" Severus growled.

Gem took his arm and stoked it in a calming manner " we both know Larry will probably follow me if I go fetch the Basilisk. I would rather take him with me in the first place, as I then know where he is and can put down rules for his involvement".

Knowing he was outvoted (and worse outwitted) Severus scowled as the two troublemakers, and finally said "then we will go and find the dratted Basilisk together, and I swear if any of you two put a toe out of line I will make you regret it". Gem and Larry just smiled at that threat and walked down towards the dungeons, while Severus followed growling under his breath "I`m surrounded by bloody moronic Gryffindors".

After fetching some vials to collect poison from the snake in, a small bottle of shrinking solution and a couple of brooms Gem showed the way to moaning Myrtle`s bathroom. Luckily the ghost was hiding in one of the toilets, and they were left alone to open the entrance going down to the tunnels. Gem cast a quick cleaning charm on the slide down and a cushioning charm on the end before they slid down. Larry was wide eyed as he followed them into the tunnels, taking in every detail of the damp surroundings. As they stopped in front of the doors leading to the chamber of secrets Gem said "Larry, you will keep close to Severus at all times. Don`t touch anything, and keep your eyes open as I doubt the Basilisk is the only danger here".

Gem opened the door to the chamber with a whispered "open" in Parseltongue, as they stepped inside Severus lost his composure and became as wide eyed as Larry was. Gem smiled a bit at him, and led them to the Basilisk`s lair. Not wanting to wake the snake she managed to open the entrance to the lair in a quiet manner, and walked up to the giant snake. "That`s a bloody big snake" breathed Larry.

"Language Mr. Snape" Severus said silkily.

Gem took put her vials, and gathered poison and some scales from the snake before dripping the shrinking solution on it. The Basilisk shrank until it reached the size of an anaconda, and Gem having asked permission to borrow Fawkes from Dumbledore, called softly "Fawkes, if you could assist please". The red and golden form of Dumbledore`s pet phoenix popped into existence above the large snake, and Gem asked politely "would you be so kind to transport this snake somewhere it can live safely. It will wake as soon as you deposit it, so be careful". The phoenix thrilled softly at her, and grabbing a hold of the snake it disappeared with it.

The three of them cautiously searched the cave, and finding neither other dangerous objects nor anything else interesting they finally mounted their brooms and sped up into the bathroom again. As they came back to their rooms Larry asked eagerly "can we destroy it now, please".

Severus answered "I can`t see why not", but Gem stopped him saying "you should be aware that the item puts up a resistance when destroyed, it will show you images taken from your memories to try and manipulate you to not destroy it". Looking grim Severus placed the item on the floor in the hallway, and made ready to destroy it. Suddenly an image of Lily Evans came out of the item; she was larger than life and impossibly beautiful. "Stupid greasy Severus, did you really think anybody could love you. You are not worthy of love, anybody who come close to you will be contaminated by your darkness. You will never bring anything but death and destruction to those who are close to you" it said. Severus stood frozen, feeling shameful that he had allowed himself to dream that he could escape his darkness. Gem seeing how the vision of Lily had managed to capture Severus took matters into her own hands; and dripped Basilisk venom over a small Goblin made knife and stabbed the item. The Horcrux screamed piteously as it was banished, and Gem stepped in front of it saying to the other two "that was not Lily, it was a figment taken from Severus" worst dreams. It does not know anything, you are eminently worthy of being loved and you would never allow anyone you loved to be affected by what you call your darkness". Larry just walked up to his dad and put his arms around him "I don`t know much about my birth mum, but I don`t think she would say something like that to a friend".


	30. Chapter 30

The Diary

Halloween had been a strange experience for Larry, knowing that his parents had died that day made it difficult to enjoy the day together with the others. Severus had given him the idea that he could claim to be unable to find the Halloween spirit as his birth mother had died that day. It gave him a good excuse to spend the day home in the dungeons; he had tried to persuade his friends to enjoy themselves without him but Hermione and Neville had insisted that they would rather be with him. Ron had looked so wistful at the thought of all the candy that they had insisted he at least should go to the feast. The three others gathered in the dungeon rooms, where the house elves had provided a small feast for them.

Larry had brightened up a bit when Gem had told him that she and Severus had been invited to Malfoy manor for dinner, and would try to fetch item number two today. This meant that they would not be home with him, but Trinket would be present in case something happened. Larry would have preferred for them to be with him, but the wish to get rid of more items overrode that. Instead he quite looked forward to spending some time home with his friends.

Gem and Severus had laid a careful plan for this mission; they knew the diary was somewhere in the library but not exactly where. Severus had brought a knockout potion, so that he could safely incapacitate Lucius while searching. Gem had told him that if he could not find anything, there was a disgruntled elf called Dobby that could be persuaded to help them if they could manage to free it.

Severus and Gem donned their best robes, and flooed to the manor. Here another elf greeted them, and showed the way to an opulent dining room.

"Welcome to my manor Gem, and welcome back Severus. Can I get you an aperitif "asked Lucius as they were shown in. "Thank you that would be nice" Severus answered.

After the aperitifs they enjoyed a decadent dinner while talking pleasantly. After dinner Lucius invited Severus to join him for a cigar in the library. Severus readily agreed to this proposal and as they entered the library he said "Lucius old friend, am I correct in assuming that you have a good cognac hidden somewhere in the premises. I feel the need for a small drink to help sink that excellent food".

"Why yes of course, please help yourself, I think will join you in taking a small drink" Lucius said indicating the drinks cabinet. Severus took out a bottle and managed to put a few drops of the knockout potion in one of the glasses. He then filled both with the cognac, and delivered the glass with the potion in it to Lucius.

"To your continued good health" he said toasting Lucius. As soon as the man took one sip of the spirits, he sagged in his chair. Severus didn`t waste time, using all his ingenuity and knowledge of dark items he made a quick search. He found nothing, and seeing that time was running away from him he called softly "Dobby, come here your master has been taken ill".

A small house elf in a ragged pillow case popped in, but before he could do anything Severus had immobilized him. "I apologize for this Dobby, but I needed to talk to you. I am here on a mission that will help destroy the dark wizard called Voldemort for good before he can resurface again. Your master has in his possession a very dark and dangerous item that I need, I would like your help in finding it. I am prepared to help you get free in payment for your services". Severus then freed Dobby from his spell and indicated that the elf could speak now "Dobby is willing to help sir. I was happy when dark wizard fell, and don`t want bad times back. What can I do for sir".

"There is a small book here somewhere; it contains a part of a soul. I need to find it, but could not locate it. Do you know where it is"? The elf cringed, but snapped its fingers and instantly a small book appeared in its hand. Severus took it and said to the elf "if this is a hoax from your part I will be very displeased, and I will find a way to express that displeasure that you will not like. Are you sure this is it"? As the elf nodded fervently Severus first pocketed the small book, and then took out a small bottle of his special obedience potion feeding some to the still unconscious Lucius. He then cast an awakening spell to negate the effect of the knockout potion. As Lucius came to Severus said "you will remember only that we took too many drinks and that you fell asleep after that, in addition you will present this elf with an article of clothing so that he may be freed. You will remember doing this, and you will think that you did this because the elf gave such an unsatisfactory service that you were better off without it".

Lucius nodded in a dazed way, took off his tie and said "elf, you have been a disappointing servant. Here is a token of your freedom; you will not work here again".

The elf took the proffered tie and vanished with a small pop, Severus sat in silence until the obedience potion wore off and Lucius said "sorry old friend, I fell asleep. I must be more tired than I knew; I do hope you can overlook this unintentional rudeness".

"Of course old friend" Severus said suppressing a satisfied grin "I must in fact be going anyway, my son is home alone and I don`t want to stay too long and risk coming home to a smoking ruin. The two men laughed together as they went to fetch Gem, Severus and Gem thanked their hosts, and then flooed back to Hogwarts.

As they came home Severus stopped Gem briefly and showed her the book, she nodded at him "that is it" she said. Severus went to the book case and placed the book there as they wanted Larry to see them destroy it. They then joined the kids who were busy playing games in Larry`s room.

Larry looked searchingly at his parents when they came into his room. When he saw Gem smile and nod at him in confirmation, he felt elated. He could barely wait for the others to leave, so that the new item could be destroyed. Finally Gem escorted Hermione and Neville back to the dormitories after Larry told them he would be staying down in the dungeon tonight. Larry looked pleadingly at Severus, but the man just looked stonily back and Larry didn`t even dare ask if they could just go destroy the item now.

While they waited for Gem to come back Severus almost had to smile at Larry`s impatient wiggling. When Gem strolled back in Larry all but jumped up and stood there tripping, Gem just smiled and led the way out to the book case where the item was waiting. Together they went out into the hallway again, and Larry held out his hand saying "I want to do this one mother".

Gem looked searchingly at him before handing him the poisoned knife. As he stood there readying himself a black ghostlike appearance came out of the book. "Harry Potter, the boy who lived but never was loved. Do you dream of what I did to make myself the greatest wizard ever? You too could be great if you joined me, or are you as weak as both your sets of parents, choosing to stay in the shadows forever and never reaching for greatness".

Larry glared at the apparition for a moment before yelling "neither of my parents were ever weak. It is you who is too weak to recognize true greatness and the value of love and friends", as he said this he stabbed the book hard. The item gave out a piteous scream, and the apparition wavered and vanished while ink ran out of the dying Horcrux. Larry then stepped back and threw his arms around both his adopted parents, saying "I love you guys".

Swallowing thickly Severus answered "and we love you son, never doubt that".


	31. Chapter 31

The cave

Together Severus and Gem had persuaded Larry that the rest of the items had to wait a while as they would have to leave the school to get to them. A weekend late in November Severus arranged a portkey to take him and Trinket to the cave where the false item was stored. He and Trinket followed the instructions they had gotten from Gem and made their way into the cave cautiously. Severus paid the passage into the site with his own blood ignoring the indignant protests of the elf. Trinket found the small boat easily using her special innate magic, and they crossed to the small island without problems. Severus tried valiantly to dissuade the elf from drinking the potion arguing that he would not be comfortable feeding it something that might damage it. He also argued that if anything happened, she would be better at getting them safely out. The stubborn elf refused to listen and said "Trinket must protect master for my mistress and young master. Trinket would rather die than let down her family".

Severus finally gave up realizing that his famed powers at persuasion were nothing against one extremely stubborn house elf. Having done many a distasteful thing during his time as a Death Eater, he almost felt this was the worst. The elf shrieked and beat itself over the head as it continued drinking the vile potion that he had to feed her. Luckily Gem had asked him to bring water, and as the elf was finally finished drinking he gave some to her, before scooping up the locket in the basin. Taking out the portkey he had manufactured beforehand he grabbed Trinket and said the activation phrase bringing them safely back to Hogwarts.

Larry and Gem were playing cards quietly as he came in bearing Trinket in his arms. Gem hopped up and quickly took the elf from him and laid her on the table. She called for a Hogwarts elf and said to it "I don`t know much about healing house elves I admit, would you see to it that she gets the medicine she needs and is looked after as she recovers."

The elf bowed and assured her that Trinket would be treated as if she was royalty.

Together Severus, Gem and Larry opened the false item and seeing the note in it they all agreed that replacing the original item had been a brave thing for Sirius`s brother to do.

After semester had started Black had been living with Lupin while he waited for the Goblins to finish untangling his mother`s will. Gem and Severus had invited them both to come see Larry that weekend, and had obtained permission from the headmaster for the two to stay in Gem`s old rooms.

Saturday after dinner they sat together playing a card game when Severus took out the fake item and laid it before Black. Black grabbed it, and after opening it he read the note. "That is my brother Regulus`s writing. What is going on, what is this thing and why did my brother write a note like that to you know who.

"It is a long story and it is better if you hear parts from your house elf Kreacher, if you would call for him and instruct him to answer my questions please" Gem told him.

Black looked at her curiously but did as she asked an incredibly old elf appeared muttering darkly "most unworthy master has called for Kreacher and Kreacher obeys as he must". Ignoring his muttering Black said sharply "Kreacher this is Miss Gem, she will ask you questions and I order you to answer honestly". Kreacher bowed ironically to his master saying "Kreacher hears and obeys".

"Tell us all about the history round this locket" Gem told the elf giving him the fake item.

"That`s Master Regulus` locket" the elf exclaimed clutching it to his scrawny chest. The group sat silent as the elf related the story about his experience with Morty, and Regulus` last action.

By the time the elf finished Black was crying openly "little brother, I always thought you were weak. And now I finally realize you were the best of us both, thank you Kreacher for bringing back my brother to me even so long after his death". Kreacher bowed awkwardly, and he too started crying when Black presented him with the fake locket. As he finally subsided Gem asked carefully "I have a couple services I would like to ask of you Kreacher. If you feel up for hearing what they are you can tell me whether you are able to do this". The bedraggled elf straightened as best he could and bowed deferentially at Gem. "Kreacher will do what miss wants if he is able" he croaked.

"I`d like you to first fetch the real locket so that we can finally destroy it". The elf bowed again and popped off, reappearing within a minute bearing the real item. Gem held up the locket, and in as short a time as possible she told Black about what it was. "But how do you know this" he asked bewildered. Gem looked at Severus and Larry, and seeing them nod at her she told the full story in the simplest way. This left the two guests gaping at her in astonishment, and as they sat gaping Gem hissed the word open in Parseltongue at the locket. A representation of her father appeared screaming at her that she was unworthy of her name, and blood. It also stated that the world would have better if he had succeeded in killing her. Gem looked at it impassively before driving the poisoned knife hard into it, as she looked up she saw Larry looking at her with tears running down his cheeks. "I have made my peace with what my father was a long time ago, he can no longer hurt me. It was his loss that he was not able to love his family and enjoy what he was lucky enough to be given" Gem told him and pulled him into a tight hug.

After seeing the locket that his favorite master had died to get to finally be destroyed, Kreacher again cried but this time in joy. Black started patting the old elf awkwardly on the back saying "there, there" in a strangled voice. Finally the two guests retreated to Gem`s old rooms taking the old elf with them. Gem opted to wait a while before opening the subject of the Lestrange vault with either of them, thinking that they all needed some time to recuperate after that experience.


	32. Chapter 32

The shack

By the start of Christmas holiday Gem thought it was time to breach the subject of the Lestange vault, and the item hidden there with Black and Kreacher. As it transpired the old elf insisted that he would be unable to access the vault as he was not bound to the Lestranges. But Black said after hedging a bit that as he was owed rather largely by the ministry, he could probably get the administration of the vault turned over to him as both the Lestranges were still in Azkaban especially since Bellatrix was formerly a Black.

Because Black looked so hesitant at the idea of taking any kind of responsibility Gem chose to use emotional blackmail again. "Remember you are doing this for Larry`s sake, he won`t be able to relax and enjoy life properly before every Horcrux is destroyed and you know who is dead for good".

Black grimaced but said "I would do anything for my godson, I`ll contact the Goblins to see whether I can take control of my cousins` vault while she and her husband are in jail".

In the meantime Severus and Gem planned to take Larry with them to Little Hangledon to search for the Gaunt shack and the next to last item. Severus had played on his forced extra long stay in school before term started to get out of staying at the school for Christmas. He and Gem had asked Larry how he`d like to celebrate Christmas, and the boy had instantly voted for celebrating by destroying the next to last item. He felt a bit sad to not spend Christmas at school with the Weasleys, especially when the marvelous Christmas trees had been placed and decorated. Severus had however in a fit of unexpected Christmas spirit promised him a trip to Sirius and Remus` place after they had fetched and destroyed the item, Larry was quite impressed with this, he knew that the three didn`t like each other much and he suspected that the only thing that would ever be able to bring them together was their connection to him.

Severus had arranged for the three of them to first visit the house he had inherited from the Prince family, as Lupin had made great inroads into making it inhabitable. From there they would be able to apparate directly to Little Hangledon.

Larry hadn`t expected the Prince estate to be very grand as Severus never had seemed rich, so when they apparated there he was extremely surprised to find himself outside a big manor. "I didn`t know you came from such a grand family dad" he said. His dad scowled darkly at the building in front of him and said "the Princes were at one time a very prominent pureblood family but my mother was one of the last of them. My grandparents were not supportive of my mother marrying my father, and they threw her out when she announced what she planned doing. I never even met my grandparents, and the inheritance was the first sign that they had even heard I existed. I was severely tempted to leave everything to rot, but chose not to. Instead I keep trying to dream of a way to utilize the place that would leave them spinning in their graves, got any ideas son"?

"How about a school for squibs such as Mrs. Figg, or maybe an orphanage for muggleborns and halfbloods" suggested Gem. Severus looked at her in a calculating way before ushering them up the wide path to the house. Larry snorted and said "this place is too dreary for kids ma, how about a house for those who are rejected from the wizarding world. Such as werewolves like Remus, and then we can use some money to support research into curing them".

Severus smiled in an evil way saying "exactly what I was after Larry, they would definitely not have wanted their legacy to be used to house creatures such as werewolves".

After choosing rooms and leaving their stuff in these, the three of them soon congregated in the hall. Larry was almost hopping with excitement at the idea of getting rid of another item. Severus scowled at his fidgeting, and handed him two potions. "Anti nausea and a calming agent" he said as Larry looked at him curiously. "I understand why you`re exited, but we need you calm if we`re going to do this. This could be dangerous, and I don`t want to risk anything". Larry grimaced at his dad but took his potions without complaining, feeling lucky that he was allowed to come with. He reckoned not many parents would willingly have included a kid in such proceedings, but his seemed very united in this. They both refused to treat him like an ignorant child; they included him in discussions and agreed that he needed to see for himself that the items were destroyed.

After he downed the potions, they apparated to a secluded spot near Little Hangledon, as usual the sensation of apparition seemed to disagree with him and it took a few minutes for him to feel less disoriented but luckily this time he escaped the nausea.

Little Hangledon wasn`t especially big, but as they knew the shack would be difficult to find Gem had opted for using a more Slytherin tactic. They therefore went into the nearest pub, and after getting some food Gem approached the barman. "Hello Sir, I wondered if you could guide me to a person that would be willing to speak to us about the history of this place" she said sweetly. The barman seemed to think a bit before yelling "hey Maureen, come here. There are some people who want to hear about the history of the place". Then in a lower tone he added "she drives me wild trying to fill the ears of my patrons with her nattering, if telling you her stories will shut her up for a while I`d be a happy man".

Gem thanked the man, and returned to the table. Hopefully this Maureen would be willing to show inquisitive outsiders round, if they played their cards right, Larry had been prepped beforehand and knew when to put in his spiel if it seemed needed.

After a few moments a smallish elderly woman joined their table, and after greeting them she said " so you want to hear some stories. Anything in particular that you fancy hearing about"?

"My son is a big fan of murder mysteries and such, if you have had anything like that happening here" Severus said. At this the woman grinned and launched into the grisly tale of the three people found murdered in the Riddle house. After this story had ended, Severus skillfully maneuvered her onto the tale of Riddle Jr. and the tramp he`d married so suddenly. At a sign from his mother Larry said in his most petulant manner "I want to see those places ma, can`t we go see them please"?

Gem smiled indulgently at him, "that depends dear; I don`t want to search around for them in this cold weather. If we could just get somebody to show them to us that would be another matter". Maureen, not suspecting anything was not long in volunteering to show the way, and they soon set off. The Riddle house was not too much to look at, and the group soon set out to find the shack instead. Luckily Maureen led them right to it, and they stood there looking at it for some moments. At a new sign from Gem, Larry said in a whining manner "this was boring ma, I want to go home and watch telly". The three adults exchanged glances that spoke clearly of the impatience of young people today, but soon enough Maureen had been thanked and sent off towards the pub again. The three others walked for a bit in the opposite direction, until they were sure they could no longer be seen or heard, and then apparated back in front of the shack.

Gem then said to the two others "be careful, I know for a fact that this item is cursed, so you must not touch it with bare hands". The shack was tiny and extremely dirty, it was obvious that no one had lived there for some while. As the place was so tiny it didn`t take long to find the item, and not daring to touch it at all they destroyed it immediately. Afterwards Gem gathered the remnant of the ring, and taking care to not touch it she put it in a moleskin pouch she had been wearing around her neck. "What do you want that for then mother" Larry asked.

"It is a powerful magical artefact, and should not be lying round here. I`m going to remove any lingering curse on it and then see to that it is placed somewhere safe".


	33. Chapter 33

Christmas celebration

The apparition to Sirius and Remus` place was surprisingly smooth for Larry, as they landed he saw Sirius who was standing in a window and raced up towards the little house. Sirius opened the door just as Larry came up to it, and Larry threw himself into Sirius`s arms crowing "we destroyed another one and dad was so quick that it didn't even have a chance to try to defend itself. You know what this means Sirius? It means there is only one left, and then we can get rid of Morty".

Sirius patted Larry`s back and whirled him carefully around, before depositing him on the ground and said "I have somewhat good news when it comes to the last one too. If you would all come in, Remus is in the parlor and has probably started the tea steeping already".

As they had trooped in and made themselves comfortable, Severus asked "what do you mean, somewhat good news".

"I mean that I have been given restricted access to the vault, but we need to figure out a way to get rid of the Goblin that will surely accompany me down. I don`t think I`ll be able to find and kill one of those things unless left alone. You`ll have to help me come up with any ideas.

"We can think about this later" Remus said "this is Christmas and it should be celebrated properly".

Severus couched slightly and said "while we are here I have a proposition for you. Larry is now without godparents, and I`d like to know that he is being taken care of if something happens. I was hoping you two would consent to being co-godparents for Larry"?

Larry was looking at his dad with a stricken expression, while Remus and Sirius were gaping at him. After some seconds Sirius managed to gather himself enough to croak "of course we would be honored to be godparents".

"Then it is settled" Severus said "I`ll have the Goblins send over the paperwork naming you godparents as soon as possible". Seeing Larry`s expression Severus then said "we`re planning to live a long while yet son. You`ll not get rid of us easily, but I feel there should be a security web in place for you anyway". Larry looked a bit more mollified but said "you two had better not leave me anytime soon, I`ve lost enough parents already".

Sirius jumped up saying "this is getting way too maudlin, I suggest we go open presents".

"Presents aren`t supposed to be opened before Christmas morning you dolt" Severus said exasperatedly. "I suggest we play games and later eat the marvelous dinner I`m sure your elf is busy cooking, the presents can keep until tomorrow. Sirius looked a bit crestfallen, but Larry grinned at his godfather saying "you will like the game I promise Sirius, I`ll even be on your team". Trinket was soon summoned and asked to bring the game and their presents, then she went out into the kitchen to offer help in preparing dinner. They had loads of fun playing the game together, Remus ended on Sirius` and Larry"s team. He was quite as knowledgeable as Severus, so the competition to win the game became hard.

After dinner they lounged together in the parlor, Larry even fell asleep with his head cushioned on his dad`s chest. Seeing this Sirius suggested that they may as well stay the night, and they could open their presents together next morning.

Severus and Gem looked at each other for a moment, but neither wanted to wake Larry so they agreed to stay. The next morning Sirius woke them by banging on the door and yelling "get up, it`s time for presents". Gem almost jumped out of bed at the sudden noise while Severus grumbled as he got up "I`ll kill that mongrel". Throwing on some borrowed bathrobes, they trooped downstairs finding an exited Sirius standing in front of the pile of presents at the foot of the Christmas tree. "You didn`t need to buy the world. You twerp" Severus said with a huff. Larry would have been just as happy with a few presents".

"Oh indulge a poor guy here; I have ten years worth of presents to make up for" Sirius said grinning widely.

Larry felt that he indeed would have been just as happy with fewer things, but refrained from saying so. In the end one of his favorite presents wasn`t even for him. Remus looked very surprised when Sirius read out the tag of a smallish present and it said from Severus. Wrapping it up he found a small vial with a sickly greenish potion "what is it Severus".

"Hopefully a cure, you see I acquired some basilisk scales and got the idea of trying to make the wolfsbane better by using them. I have tested it extensively and think it will work, but I need a test subject if you are willing". Remus blinked away tears and said "definitely interested", before downing the potion in one swallow. In one instant the whole man seemed to flame, then he contorted before laying still. "We won`t know for sure until new year if it was successful, we will just have to cross our fingers until then.

Kreacher popped up suddenly and asked whether he could clear away all the paper, Gem asked on a sudden inspiration "Kreacher, now that your master has access to the Lestrange vault do you have access too by any chance". The elf thought for a moment and finally said "Kreacher does not know, does master wish for Kreacher to try"?

"Yes please try that Kreacher" said Sirius, Gem stopped the elf and after describing the cup they were after she told him to not touch the cup and to be very careful as it might be cursed.

The old elf nodded vanishing with a soft pop and reappearing just as suddenly bearing the cup. "Thank you Kreacher, that was excellent work" said Sirius in a dazed manner. The elf beamed proudly, and vanished again taking all the strewn paper with him. The group sat together speechless, but Gem finally took out the poisoned knife from her moleskin pouch handing it to Sirius. Not even hesitating one minute he stabbed the cup forcibly, and Larry jumped up as the cup crumbled yelling "hurray, only Morty to go and then we are all free".


	34. Chapter 34

The destruction of Morty

Larry had sobered quickly after Gem had explained that destroying Morty would probably lead to the deaths of the Death Eaters too. Finally he had said grimly "they had a choice, and made a bad one. I don`t feel too guilty that they may die, I only feel bad for their kids and wives".

Finally the date for the destruction of Morty and his gang had been set as Easter break. They could have done it in Christmas break, but couldn`t bear to destroy Christmas neither for themselves nor for the innocent children of the gang.

Gem had received one of her prophetic dreams after the destruction of the last item, where she saw how she could use the power of Hogwarts to destroy both Morty and any Death eater that could not regret choosing to follow him.

She had tried persuading Larry that he did not want to be present for this, but he would not listen and insisted that he needed to see the end of his parents` killer before he could relax properly. After instilling a promise that he would hide somewhere safe Gem reluctantly agreed for him to come. Severus was extremely reluctant to let her go as she was by now seven months pregnant and really big with his child. Only Gem threatening to go alone without him as backup made him bend to her will.

Pettigrew that rat had earlier been released from his incarceration, heavily imperioused and sent to Albania to fetch Morty. His story would be that he and Severus were both loyal Death Eaters, and had found each other by accident. Knowing that their master was out there Pettigrew had volunteered to find him while Severus had plotted to capture Morty`s greatest enemy, namely Harry Potter. They knew Pettigrew had found Morty some weeks earlier as he had communicated this to Severus, and the trap had been set at the graveyard in Little Hangledon.

Larry had been glamoured back into Harry, and was (very loosely) bound to a headstone as Pettigrew came to the graveyard carrying the childlike form of Morty. "Severus, have you grown tired of the protection from that meddlesome old coot and come back to the fold finally" said Morty in his high cold voice.

"My master, I never abandoned you or the fold. I was just biding my time until I was sure you would return".

"Yet you never searched me out, if it wasn`t for this gift you have given me" here Morty indicated Harry "I would have been forced to punish you. Pettigrew, you may proceed with the ritual".

Pettigrew bowed and set up the giant cauldron before summoning the first ingredient "bone of the father…" he incantated. As he finished this he made to go to Harry, but Severus waved him off. Severus went up to Harry instead and as he pretended to pierce him with a knife he instead pulled a small bottle of blood out from his pocket. As he turned and gave this to Pettigrew the man added this to the cauldron and plus the last ingredient and finally Morty himself. As Morty arose from the cauldron he was met by Gem, before he could do anything she caught his hand and pressed his wand to the Dark Mark. "What are you doing" he asked incensed, but she just commanded "silence" and inexplicably he found that he was neither able to move or speak.

Suddenly Death Eaters appeared from nowhere, but all of them froze within seconds of arriving. When the arrival of the gang seemed to have stopped up, Gem stepped forward and gestured for Severus and Harry to hide. She then spoke loudly to the assembled gang "loyal Death Eaters, today your master`s reign ends for good. I invite all of you to dredge up any feeling of regret for your actions or choices; I regretfully inform you that this will be your only chance. Any who does not deeply regret their actions as a Death Eater will die today".

As she was speaking Severus dragged Harry with him to a big headstone, and together they stood behind it, in order to keep out of harm's way. Neither of the two liked the arrangement much, but Gem had made this a requisite for their involvement in the proceedings.

Gem continued on after giving the assembled gang some moments to think "I call on the protection and powers of Hogwarts. In the name of the four founders I hereby purge the evil gathered here from this world" as she said this she touched her golden cuff and started to glow. As moments went past she bent in upon herself and glowed ever more brightly, Severus finally averted his eyes while placing a hand over Harrys eyes. "Don`t look "he breathed into Harry`s ear.

Suddenly a mighty flare left Gem and stuck both Morty and every assembled Death Eater. Within seconds they were all silently writhing on the ground as the intense light struck them. As suddenly as it had begun it was over, Severus saw through his eyelids the light shut off, and releasing Harry he got up to carefully look over the rim of the gravestone. All the Death Eaters ware laying on the ground, and Gem had collapsed.

"Check on Gem please Harry, I`ll check on the dark Lord and the Death Eaters" Severus said and went up to Morty casting a spell to check if the man (or whatever he was) had a pulse. Finding no sign of life Severus performed the same check on as many of the death Eaters as possible; finding them all stone dead was not a big surprise. Harry called for him softly and as he reached Gem the boy said "she is breathing but she seems totally out of it, shouldn`t we get her to the school and madam Pomfrey". Severus nodded and gathered his wife in his arms, he then carried her out of the anti disapparition circle they had created round the graves, and Harry trailed after him. As they reached the spot where they could disapparate or portkey from Severus cancelled the glamour on Harry and asked him to activate his portkey back to Hogwarts. The boy released his amulet from its catch and pressing it into Severus" one hand, he said the activation phrase "home". The Portkey deposited the group just outside the infirmary as planned and Severus ran through the door with Gem still held in his arms shouting for Madam Pomfrey. As she bustled in she tried to make them leave her with Gem, but soon gave in under the force of their combined glares. Severus put his arms around Larry and they stood like this comforting each other while the nurse worked. Madam Pomfrey worked quickly and efficiently, soon she had Gem out of her robes and into a hospital gown. As she cast charm after charm on his wife Severus conjured a small sofa, and still holding Larry he sank down into it without ever moving his gaze from his wife.

As Madam Pomfrey finally stopped casting spells Severus inquired "how is she, will she recover"?

"She seems ok, but her magical energy is extremely low. I don`t know what happened, but she seems to have drained herself almost completely of magic. I can`t say anything for sure until she wakes, but I fear she may have lost magic completely. I at least have never heard of anyone regaining their magic after draining themselves as much as this".

With tight lips Severus asked "Is she physically ok though". The nurse answered that both Gem and the baby seemed to be doing fine apart from the magical drain.

After the nurse had left them alone Severus called out for Trinket. The small elf appeared and began wailing and wringing her hands as she saw her mistress, "Stop that wailing Trinket, it won`t help your mistress, You remember that we asked you to help us spread some specific news when we had accomplished our goal of getting rid of Morty and his gang".

"Yes Master Severus, Trinket is to go spread the news that bad men were seen in Little Hangledon. I am to try make the aurors go look and find Mr. dark wizard and the others" the elf said and bowed when Severus motioned for her to get on with her task.

Severus and Larry stayed with Gem, as neither wanted to leave before she had woken. As they sat there Larry fell asleep with his head cushioned on his dad`s shoulder, when Trinket popped back to report the success of her mission Severus held his finger up to shush her indicating the sleeping boy. Trinket smiled slightly and still wringing her hands she said in a low voice, "I managed my task Master, the aurors are going to Little Hangledon as we speak".

"Good elf" Severus said " your mistress is going to be impressed when she wakes, you may leave now".


	35. Chapter 35

Moving forward

Gem felt herself floating in a white mist, she drifted there for a while feeling utterly content and safe. After some time a voice from behind said "In a way I`m kind of glad to have this opportunity to meet you. Of course I could wish you had sound a safer way to do what you had to. I shudder to think how Larry and Severus would react to losing you". As Gem turned she saw Lily Potter grinning at her as she continued to speak "I wanted to see you in order to thank you for saving my son, and also for pulling Severus out of the dark and into the light. James is a bit peeved that I am the only one who can come here to speak to you. You should probably be glad for that as he is a bit unhappy that Harry no longer exists, having been replaced by your Larry. But eventually Ill manage to persuade him it`s for the best though".

Gem smiled back at the woman, but didn`t manage to speak before she felt a powerful pull take hold of her "goodbye for now, send my love to Larry and Severus "Lily called after her as she was pulled back to her body. As she woke she was greeted by the sight of Severus and Larry sleeping together on a small sofa. They had their arms around each other, and Larry had fisted one of his hands into Severus" robes as if to make sure his dad wouldn`t go anywhere.

The sight left Gem happy and a bit sad at the same time, the boy obviously had become attached to Severus and he was scared to lose him. Thinking about how right the two looked there together she fell into a healing sleep.

The next day they all woke to the news that Aurors had discovered Morty and his gang at the graveyard, and had traced them back to the Riddle house nearby. Madam Pomfrey released gem that day after extracting promises that she would be looked after by the others.

How Gem had contrived it Severus could not guess. But it transpired from the papers in the days after that as the house in Little Hangledon was ransacked by the Aurors, a diary seemingly written by the Dark Lord himself had surfaced. Stories based from leaks from this diary suggested that here was written a full recording of every crime performed by the man.

This was very good news for many a relative of Morty"s many victims. Larry thought one of the best effects of this, was the fact that Hagrid quickly was finally cleared of the charges that had led to his expulsion and the destruction of his wand when he was a third year. The big man had all but bawled his eyes out when this news came.

The minister for magic had been incredibly humiliated when one of his most important financial backers was exposed as a Death Eater, and because of the scandal that ensued he had to step back as minister. This started a thorough purge of the ministry, resulting in a new minister and an almost new organization as many more people that had received bribes from known Death Eaters lost their jobs.

On a sadder note many pupils in Slytherin had lost at least one parent. As they trailed back to the school after Easter most of them were sad and withdrawn. Indeed Draco being somewhat of a daddy`s boy was one of the worst affected, he was pale and worn and his eyes were red rimmed. Disturbing rumors appeared saying that his mother Narcissa had gone slightly mad on hearing the news of the death of her husband, and had ended up in St. Mungos. As soon as Larry felt it was appropriate he went up to Malfoy and said "I was sorry to hear about the loss of your father Malfoy, it probably doesn`t help to hear this but I know how it feels to lose somebody and I feel for you".

Malfoy didn`t even manage a proper scowl, and just hurried past Larry without responding.

Weeks later Draco was one day called in to a meeting at the office of his head of house. He was feeling slightly worried that he was in for a dressing down as his grades had dropped alarmingly since his fathers` death.  
As he knocked at the door of the office and was invited in, he was surprised to be met by the sight of both professor Snape and Sirius Black sitting there. He definitely had not expected this.  
'Come in and sit down Mr. Malfoy' said the professor.

Black was tugging at his collar and looked quite uncomfortable. 'Mr. Malfoy' he said. 'I am as you probably know a cousin of your mothers. I am also now your nearest male relative, somehow I ended up with the control of the Malfoy estate when your father died.

I want to assure you that I have hired the best finance people to manage your assets, and that you will regain control as soon as you reach seventeen. I have in the mean time arranged for you to receive a fixed amount of money regularly, if you find that you need more you can contact me to discuss adding to that amount.

I`m not sure if you have heard from your mother after her illness. You should know that I have arranged for her to be moved into private care to shield her a bit from the public. I`m sure you worry for her but she now has the best care that is available, I have conferred with her healers and sadly they don`t think a visit is a good idea yet. I will contact you immediately when she gets well enough for you to come see her. At some time that suits you I`d like to discuss a strategy for making the Malfoy name respectable again but I`m sure that you neither want nor need to think about this while you are still grieving. Lastly I wish to assure you that I am not trying to replace your dad, but I will be there if you need me to".

"Why are you doing this, what do you get out of it"? Draco asked suspiciously.

"Once I had a brother, and we idolized each other until our relationship with our parents forced us to choose different things. First a couple of weeks ago I learned that the brother I had thought weak turned out to be the strongest of us, and that he died fighting for what he thought was right . In his memory I want to give you a chance I never gave him, the chance to prove yourself".

With that Black exchanged a stiff handshake with Snape and Draco himself before leaving.

After Black had left Draco asked Snape "Sir, what do you think, does he have an agenda other than what he is saying"?

"I must admit that I never liked the man, but I think that he has been shaken both by his time in Azkaban and the recent events. He may be entirely honest and free of agendas for all I know, but I expect that you as a true Slytherin will keep your eyes open and have a backup plan ready".

Draco thanked his head of house politely, and exited the room thinking furiously.


	36. Chapter 36

A chapter inspired by Old Norse mythology

Fenris was a monstrous wolf in the myth, so I should probably have chosen the Midgard Serpent

but it didn't`t sound as good. Freyja was actually a goddess of love (and other things) in this mythology.

This is the last chapter, I hope you have enjoyed despite my dubious abilities at writing.

Choices again

One day just weeks before Gem was supposed to have the baby, Severus had another dream visitor. In his dream he was facing a building being constructed, he thought he saw the familiar outline of Hogwarts coming together. Walking forward he stepped through the opening that later would be the doors to the castle, and met a dour looking man who was standing there tapping his foot impatiently. As the man became aware of Severus he brightened a bit and said "my champion, welcome to your castle. I am sure you are a bit miffed with me, but I implore you to follow me in a small quest. I feel that my bad reputation has ended up influencing my house. I am very saddened to see what my house and my descendants have ended up becoming and I wish to try to remedy some of this, and to help you save my Slytherins".

Curious Severus indicated to the man (obviously Slytherin himself) that he should lead the way "I am glad you found my beautiful pet Fenris. I should probably have put him somewhere else, but I didn`t think it through and I ended up being banned from Hogwarts, and having no way to access the vault he was in again". Severus looked disbelieving at the back of the man in front mouthing "pet"?

"I have been hoping that I would end up managing to rectify my mistake, even after death. You are my savior, and hopefully the savior of the reputation and future of Slytherin".

As they came to the dungeons the man stopped in front of the Slytherin dormitories, and stepping inside he walked to the nearest wall. Pointing to a small relief of the Slytherin crest he said "come here when you wake and press your snake bracelet to this". With this the dream ended, and changed to a normal dream instead.

Next day as the dormitories had emptied Severus went in there, feeling a bit silly he pressed his bracelet to the place the man had indicated. The entire wall opened soundlessly, revealing a large room containing loads of books and artifacts. Feeling thunderstruck Severus walked to a desk standing in front of a big window. Here lay a big diary clearly marked Salazar Slytherin, reverently Severus opened the book at random and started reading.

After reading through the book, he exited and strode out wandering around while thoughts raced each other furiously through his head.

He`d been planning a house meeting to talk to his Slytherins about their losses, and had hoped to get some inspiration about how to go about leading them away from the dark paths their fathers had been following. He`d chosen to let the Slytherins grieve for a bit before approaching them. This dream visitation was a sign that the time was ripe for making a spiel, and the diary had given him the way to do this. Whirling round he twirled his wand conjuring a howler and gave it its instructions. The howler multiplied itself, and zoomed off to deliver itself to the recipients.

Later Severus stood in the Slythering common room looking at the bleak faces surrounding him. "I want to first sympathize with your grief, losing a loved one is never easy and the manner of your loss has been especially bad. I am here today to offer you choices, these will be hard and some of you may make different choices than others. As you might know I was once a follower of Voldemort". The audience grew wide eyed at his admission, and some shuddered at the sound of the name. "I realized early on that to follow Voldemort was to give up all pretense of working for the Pureblood cause, or retaining any pride or independence. Being a follower meant to be a slave, I hope that those who have had me as their head of house for some time has learned that no Slytherin ever becomes a slave to another. If you have learned this, you have a chance of escaping the remnants of Voldemort mania that has been gripping the pureblood society for so long.

I want you to also know that Voldemort himself was a figment of his own fantasies, the real man was an insignificant half blood like myself".

The group before him gasped loudly when hearing this, and muttered angrily amongst themselves. "The key now is to choose either the teachings of a half blood maniac who had none of the qualities that most Slytherins value. A man set out on a destructive path that ended up costing lives of purebloods, half bloods, muggleborns and muggles alike. Or the other choice is to reject being force fed the opinions of others, taking control and establishing our own views".

As Severus stopped two students had hands up "yes Mr. Goyle" Severus said. "Umm didn"t Slytherin himself go out against muggleborns".

"I will adress this after Miss Parkinson has asked her question".

"How is it that you didn`t die, or go mad as those in Azkaban did"?

"I will answer the second question first, I was chosen by Hogwarts itself to be a champion for the house of Slytherin. Hogwarts removed my mark from Voldemort, and replaced it with this" he thrust out his arm showing them the snake arm-ring. He then walked up to the wall, and pressed the ring to the relief again. As the wall opened again he said "as to what Slytherin meant I recently found his diary. In it he said that he only reason why he was against muggleborns going to school was because he felt it was too dangerous to them. He thought they would be better off not using magic, and staying away from the wizarding world". He picked up the diary again and read out in his smooth baritone "my darling sweet was pounced by mistrustful muggles and killed outright when they saw her using magic. After the loss of my precious darling I feel that Hogwarts is no longer safe for muggleborns to go to. They would be better off if we suppressed their magic, and kept the teaching of our arts within pureblood circles". Severus closed the precious book and looked out at the thoughtful faces and said "I leave with the task of thinking through this. What is it to be a Slytherin, is it to think for oneself or to follow blindly as a slave to another".

Baby Snape

As spring rolled by Gem got even more big and round, but her magic didn`t resurface. One day Larry asked his mother whether she missed her magic, and would be sad if she never got it back.

"Yes Larry I miss it a bit, but if losing my magic was the price I had to pay in order to save you and Severus I will never regret doing so. I love you two very much, and any magic in my life is provided by being with you two and now this little one" as she said this she caressed her big stomach.

Severus came in at that moment and asked concernedly "is my little girl acting up today".

"No your little boy is doing fine, he kicks and flails as he should". Ignoring her words Severus came close enough to place his hand on her big stomach and said "hush now pumpkin, be good to your mother". Gem felt the baby quieting and said "that it listens to you and gets quiet when you tell it to does not necessarily mean that it is a girl darling".

"It is definitely a girl, I`m so sure that we should just name her here and now" Severus said with a satisfied smirk. "It`s a boy, and we`re not naming him until he is born" answered Gem stubbornly.

"What names have you thought about" asked Larry not wanting to be left out. The two adults smiled conspiratorially at each other and started tossing joke names between them, making Larry laugh helplessly and say "that poor kid is going to be so embarrassed at having you two pretend jokesters as parents".

Suddenly Gem bent over shrieking loudly "is it the baby, is it coming"? Larry asked

"If it is, it is a bit early. Let`s get up to the infirmary" Severus said and lifted Gem carefully.

As they got there Madam Pomfrey led them to a free bed, but as Severus laid Gem down she forcibly ushered them out. "I want to be with my wife" Severus said crossly.

"Absolutely not, I will not have you here; you will wait somewhere else where you cannot get in the way". Protesting determinedly Severus was firmly led out of the infirmary, and the nurse closed the door on him. Severus stood there for some moments gaping like a fish, before Dumbledore suddenly popped up and led him and Larry away. "You know Poppy my boy; she is a bit old fashioned. She does not believe in men being allowed in the birthing room".

Severus and Larry felt as if a week passed, but finally the head of Madam Pomfrey appeared in the floo. "You may come through" she said before vanishing again. Severus jumped up and almost stumbled in himself in his haste, Larry followed sniggering slightly at his dad. As they appeared in the infirmary they saw Gem sitting in a bed with a small bundle in her arms, Severus all but ran to her. She looked up at him and said "you were right Severus; it was a girl after all". She then held up the bundle and Severus took it with reverence. Larry walked up to his ma, and she drew him down to her hugging him tightly. Severus stood there looking at his small daughter, his face full of wonder. As he looked up at his wife and son he asked "what should we call her".

"In the old Norse myths there was a goddess of love called Freyja, I thought that would be a good name". Kissing his daughter softly Severus breathed "Freyja, goddess of love. It is a fitting name for this beautiful little thing. Thank you my dear wife for bringing me a fabulous son, a beautiful daughter and especially your love".

THE END


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